Posted by Claire Hawkin on April 1, 2008

Q: How quickly can a bird produce an egg inside itself? If a chicken lays one egg a day, does that mean there are several eggs being grown inside it at once or does it make a whole egg in just one day? How do all these eggs fit inside the chicken?

State: Outside the U.S. and Canada

A: What a great question - you've been thinking!! If you dissect a chicken that is laying eggs, you'll find a whole series of egg yolks in different graded sizes within her body. The oldest yolk will be the largest and youngest the smallest in the series. As these yolks mature, they eventually are ready for laying, are covered with albumin (egg white) and the shell and then laid. I can't help but think of it as a kind of egg conveyor belt. As a child, I remember friends preparing a chicken for dinner (from live animal to fried in a pan) and distinctly remember seeing at least 8-10 yolks of different sizes inside that chicken. In fact, those not-yet-laid eggs were all kept and included in the chicken and noodles that the mother prepared.

Thanks for your question.

John Wiessinger ( April 2, 2008)