I have a stupid question, but here it is none the less......

My father in law says that chicken eggs are fertilized AFTER they are layed in the nest. ie.. the rooster gets in the nest and "fertilizes" the egg.

I told him they are fertilized " in chicken ", but he says im wrong. By the way my father in law, who swears he was raised on a farm, is 63.... WOW if im right, I will have to tell him I thought old folks were smarter than us youngsters..... LOL.... Just kidding...

Your help is most appreciated... and Ill get to go out to lunch for free..... Nice.

-- Kristean Thompson (pigalena_babe@yahoo.com), February 25, 2002

Answers

Fish fertilize eggs after they are laid, but not birds. It's done ahead of laying (HOW did he think the sperm got through the shell?!!?) and the hen only has to be bred once every few weeks to lay a whole clutch of fertile eggs. :) This will teach him not to mess with you, Kristean! I hope the bet was a big one! :>

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), February 25, 2002.

That's right Kristean..YOU WIN..the eggs are fertilized INSIDE the hen!!!

I am also totally amazed by people who've lived on farms for years and who will argue that hens WON'T LAY EGGS without a rooster!!!! I have 25 hens and NO ROOSTER and we get oodles of eggs every day!

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), February 25, 2002.

I agree. But as far as "how does he think the sperm got through the shell?", isn't the egg somewhat soft immediately following being laid? This would make it somewhat permeable right? I think it was a good question.

-- Mike in Pa (smfine@yahoo.com), February 25, 2002.

Just ask him to explain how the rooster does it. The shells are awful HARD so how does he do it without hurting himself. It is fairly logical that all takes place BEFORE the shell. Cindy

-- Cindy (hollo@bitwisesystems.com), February 25, 2002.

When a rooster "Woo's" a hen, it fertilizes the next few days worth of eggs. After a week or so with no rooster, the eggs would not be fertile any longer. Go to a big all-you-can-eat buffet for lunch!

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), February 25, 2002.

Tell your father in law he should have paid more attention down on the farm.

When a rooster jumps a hen and mounts her that's when he's breeding her. She keeps the sperm in her body and fertilizes each egg as it's built before the shell is put on. By the time the egg hits the nest the deed is done.

Have a good lunch.

.......Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 25, 2002.

Same as what everyone else said here. I wonder if he thinks roosters and hens have sex for the fun of it then? Funny thought a rooster sitting on a bunch of eggs. Heee Haaa Heee!

Susan

-- Susan In Minnesota (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), February 25, 2002.

That's like saying the human baby is fertilized after it's born! -G- Click Here To See How Fertilization Takes Place

Too bad you didn't have a bigger bet than lunch! -G-

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), February 25, 2002.

The rooster doesn't actually deposit the sperm inside the chicken like with a "regular" mammal such as ourselves, but does deposit the sperm in/at the cloaca and the hen absorbs it as needed. Your father- in-law is a little confused but at least he was able to understand the process enough to give you your husband!!

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), February 25, 2002.

Old men aren't that dumb. He's pulling your leg.

Sara

-- Sara Perry (JPerry1218@aol.com), February 25, 2002.

OK - so who knows that this old guys rooster doesn't have a drill bit on the end of its pecker!!!!! :-)

Fertilisation definitely occurs inside the chicken.

Eat as much at lunch as you possibly can - dessert too!!!!

-- Cowvet (cowvet_nz@hotmail.com), February 25, 2002.

??? Which pecker...???, and where whould you band him, if he did???

(I've been married to a truck driver too long) oh, cowvet, that made me laugh.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), February 26, 2002.

this isn't a Blonde joke , is it ? I bet the old man is still laughing! Enjoy your meal, the joke is on You.

-- Nathan Harris Sr. (barnyard_mini@yahoo.com), February 26, 2002.

Oh, Rogo! I was afraid there were going to be pictures! Glad there wasn't.

-- Laura (Ladybugwrangler@hotmail.com), February 26, 2002.

A new spin on "Which came first---the chicken on the egg?"!! I agree with the above posts----your father in law is either the most unobservant farmboy in history (why did he think the rooster was mounting the hen?) or he is pulling your leg. Well, after you claim your lunch (be sure to get doggie bags) bet him on this one: Tell him that you have learned to tell by the way a hen clucks how many eggs she will lay today. Of course a hen can only lay one egg a day, so see if he falls for that one.

-- Jeff Baker (lorianandjeff@aol.com), March 02, 2002.