Why do hens lay eggs?

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No, it's not the first line of a joke.

Why do hens lay eggs? Eggs eventually turn into baby chickens after Mr and Mrs Chicken get busy. I understand that bit, but there's no Mr Chicken so I also understand that the eggs don't get fertilised.

The thing I'm puzzled with is my do hens still lay eggs when they don't get fertilised, isn't it just a waste of time and effort?

Not that I'm complaining, I've got loads of tasty eggs now. I just don't know why they keep laying and nobody has been able to explain why.

Osric
 
______________ I think you will find all species do this! Ros :lol:
 
Yup, even us human females produce eggs whether or not there's a man around trying to fertilize them! ;)
 
It's to keep their population up,they have a lot of predators......or,their cunning plan for world domination :mrgreen: .Luckily they are easily distracted........ ;) .
 
It was that simple and obvious?

I just didn't see that coming at all. Duh!

Still, it seems like a massive waste of resources. I bet the ladies on here wouldn't like to lay an egg a day! The human equivalent must be about the size of a football :o

Osric the just been educated!
 
LOL,we produce one egg every 28 days,true,we don't lay them,but then chickens don't have to put up with losing their womb linings.
Basically,males,either cockerals or humans have it easy :mrgreen: .
 
Too right!

It's great being a bloke! I wake up everyday thankful that I am one!

And our toys are better. Action Man was way better than anything girls had :D
 
The original 'chicken' was the Jungle Fowl - and they didn't lay as many eggs as modern chickens did - up until the 2nd World War, it was ducks who were the best egg layers and on target to become our main egg producers - then, through massive investment in research in the egg industry, slowly, we have created hybrids that can produce far more eggs than the good old Jungle Fowl ever did.

So my guess is that the Jungle Fowl would lay eggs to sit on, hatch and keep the species alive - modern chickens have in fact been altered genetically by many years of selective breeding to get the modern day layers.

It's interesting to note when you read old texts about chickens that labour was cheap - so breeders would have a few people tending to the birds continually through the day and a big part of this was record keeping - trap nesting (where a bird gets shut in when she lays an egg) so they could find the best layers and use them to produce the eggs for the next season.
 
Osric said:
Too right!

It's great being a bloke! I wake up everyday thankful that I am one!

And our toys are better. Action Man was way better than anything girls had :D
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LOL,it certainly explains a lot......so you progressed to action man,very progressive ;) .One of my earliest memories as a toddler was watching my brother push a toy car around the carpet,my father coming home and getting down on the floor to also push a car around......I knew then I would never understand a man :lol: .

Hmmmmn,I never played with dolls,glad you enjoyed playing with yours Osric........ :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Lydia said:
Hmmmmn,I never played with dolls,glad you enjoyed playing with yours Osric........ :lol: :lol: :lol:
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I'll have you know that Action Man is no doll, he is an action figure! There's a major difference!

Actually, I have a land rover, chainsaw and live in a house with an open fire because I had an Action Man and watched cowboy films with my dad. I'm more than happy to admit that I never really grew up ;)

It could also explain why I dress up as a Viking on a weekend too! :?

Osric
 
Tim said:
The original 'chicken' was the Jungle Fowl - and they didn't lay as many eggs as modern chickens did - up until the 2nd World War, it was ducks who were the best egg layers and on target to become our main egg producers - then, through massive investment in research in the egg industry, slowly, we have created hybrids that can produce far more eggs than the good old Jungle Fowl ever did.

So my guess is that the Jungle Fowl would lay eggs to sit on, hatch and keep the species alive - modern chickens have in fact been altered genetically by many years of selective breeding to get the modern day layers.

It's interesting to note when you read old texts about chickens that labour was cheap - so breeders would have a few people tending to the birds continually through the day and a big part of this was record keeping - trap nesting (where a bird gets shut in when she lays an egg) so they could find the best layers and use them to produce the eggs for the next season.
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Wow, genetically engineered hens? That's Science-Fiction-Tastic! :D
 
I've seen the jungle fowl at the domestic fowl trust place.They are nice looking birds.

If you insist Action man is a figure not a doll fair enough.Always just looked like a bad Barbie or Cindy to me, hasten to add they were my sister's lol.
Nothing wrong with not growing up,I never have.
 
Lydia said:
I've seen the jungle fowl at the domestic fowl trust place.They are nice looking birds.

If you insist Action man is a figure not a doll fair enough.Always just looked like a bad Barbie or Cindy to me, hasten to add they were my sister's lol.
Nothing wrong with not growing up,I never have.
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The only jungle fowl that springs to mind is the one that buries its eggs and adds leaves and stuff to keep them warm. I remember David Attenborough throwing extra leaves on and the hen scratching it off again. I thought he was in for a serious pecking if he kept doing it!

Everyone knows that only girls play with dolls, hence Action Man had to be an action figure. I don't mind playing with dolls now, of course they can't be made of plastic though;)

Osric
 
When I went to the Domestic Fowl Trust,all the birds where really friendly.As soon as they spotted me they all came running up(obviously hoping i'd bought some food for them),even the jungle fowl.They were more cautious,but still approached me and eyed me very carefully.They were all delightfull and it made me want even more hens.
I'm not going to imagine the sort of doll you'd like to play with now,obviously a rag doll eh! ;) .
 
Lydia said:
When I went to the Domestic Fowl Trust,all the birds where really friendly.As soon as they spotted me they all came running up(obviously hoping i'd bought some food for them),even the jungle fowl.They were more cautious,but still approached me and eyed me very carefully.They were all delightfull and it made me want even more hens.
I'm not going to imagine the sort of doll you'd like to play with now,obviously a rag doll eh! ;) .
Click to expand...

er.... yes ;)
 
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