Formation of the egg

Reproductive organs of the

hen
The egg is formed gradually over a period of about 25 hours. Many organs and systems
help to convert raw materials from the food eaten by the hen into the various
substances that become part of the egg.
The ovary
The hen, unlike most animals, has only one functional ovary - the left one - situated in
the body cavity near the backbone. At the time of hatching, the female chick has up to
4000 tiny ova (reproductive cells), from some of which full-sized yolks may develop
when the hen matures. Each yolk (ovum) is enclosed in a thin-walled sac, or follicle,
attached to the ovary. This sac is richly supplied with blood.
The oviduct
The mature yolk is released when the sac ruptures, and is received by the funnel of the
left oviduct (the right oviduct is not functional). The left oviduct is a coiled or folded tube
about 80 cm in length. It is divided into five distinct sections, each with a specific
function, as summarised in table 1.

Table 1: Functions of various different sections of the hen's oviduct

Section of oviduct Approximate time Functions of section of oviduct
egg spends in this
section
1 Funnel 15 minutes Receives yolk from ovary. If live sperm
(infundibulum) present, fertilisation occurs here
(commercially produced table eggs are
not fertilised)
2 Magnum 3 hours Inner and outer shell membranes are
added, as are some water and mineral
salts
3 Isthmus 1 hour Albumen (white) is secreted and layered
around
the yolk
4 Shell gland 21 hours Initially some water is added, making the
(uterus) outer
white thinner. Then the shell material
(mainly
calcium carbonate) is added. Pigments
may also
be added to make the shell brown
5 Vagina/cloaca less than 1 minute The egg passes through this section
before
laying. It has no other known function in
the
egg’s formation