Chicken Female Reproductive System

Chicken Reproductive System

OVARY - containing immature and mature follicles OVARY - containing immature and mature follicles.  The mature follicles consist of the egg "yolk" and the unfertilized ovum.   INFUNDIBULUM - yolk  with attached ovum is snatched up by the infundibulum.  It is at this point in the reproductive tract that the ovum is fertilized if the hen has been mated with a cockerel.  Spermatozoa from the cockerel are stored in "sperm nests" located within the infundibulum and are capable of fertilizing ova for up to 30 days after mating. MAGNUM -  while traveling through this part of the oviduct, the albumin or egg white is formed.

Isthmus- this is the area where th cell membrane is added to the egg UTERUS - also referred to as the "shell gland", this is where the egg shell is formed.  Most of the transit time from ovulation until the egg is laid is spent in the uterus. VAGINA - the egg travels through the vagina into the cloaca, from which it is "laid.“ CLOACA - this is the common external opening from which the contents of the urinary tract (urates), the intestinal tract (feces) and the reproductive tract (eggs) exit the hen.

Female Reproductive System Hatching egg Table eggs Ovary Fertile eggs Infertile eggs Infundlibulum Eggs fertilized with spermatozoa Magnum albumin or egg white inner and outer shell membranes form Isthmus Uterus Shell formed Vagina function of adding pigment to the outer shell to provide the egg with its colour. Egg held for a short time prior to laying Cloaca

Questions Cloaca, Isthmus, , Ovary, Oviduct, Vagina , Magnum, Infundibulum, Uterus 1. In which area of the female reproductive system is sperm stored for fertilizing the eggs 2. In which area is albumen formed around the ova? 3. In which area is the shell formed in the female reproductive system? 4. An egg that is hatched with a soft shell is deficient in what mineral?

The Egg

Parts of the Egg

Image of a Fertile & Infertile egg

Candling of Eggs Candling of eggs is done to determine if an egg is fertile or infertile Fertile eggs or hatching eggs usually has an embryo or germinal disc attached to the yolk Infertile eggs or table eggs do not have any embryo or germinal disc attached to the yolk

Examples of Egg Candlers

Infertile Eggs

Fertile Eggs

Facts on Layers A hen is capable of producing an egg every 25 hours. Eggs are produced and laid regardless of whether the hen has been mated and the eggs are fertile or not. A hen is capable of laying approximately 270 eggs per year. The embryo in a cracked fertile egg will not develop. Incubation and hatching of fertile egg Humidity & temperature control are important factors in the hatchability of fertilized eggs. Chicken -- eggs incubate 21 days; spend 1 day in hen; 22 days from fertilization to birth of chick Turkey, duck -- eggs incubate 28 days for a total of 29 days from fertilization to birth.