The "U" process of egg formation

^{coloured eggs : image from pixabay under CCO license}

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I visited a poultry farm along my street with my younger brother to buy some crates of eggs for my family consumption. While entering the poultry the noise emanating was deafening and ear-splitting , it was all smelly with different kind of scents oozing from different sections of the poultry.

We explored and toured different sections of the poultry farm and when we got to the sections where the hens were laying eggs , my brother was thunderstruck!

He was pretty stunned and amazed about how hens were able to lay eggs without mating required and he was also confused about how eggs were formed and developed in the fetus of the hen.

His mouth was pretty wide open like some anus that’s about to drop some feces and he turned to me and asked " hey big bro how does all this magic happen? ". I was pretty shocked and ashamed because I wasn’t expecting that question from him and I was still cudgeling my brain to figure out how the so called magic happens too. That day was so embarrassing for me.

That embarrassing day made me to carry out a thorough research about how chicken lay eggs and about how eggs are formed and developed in the foetus of hens and it also made me to learn about the nutritional benefits of eggs to man. I later lectured and enlightened my brother about the “magic” but this time I was well equipped with all the necessary machineries and ammunitions to flow!

Without further ado , please permit me to enlighten you about the nutritional importance of eggs and also to furthermore shed some lights on how eggs are formed In the foetus of hens . It's going to be a pretty long ride but I bet you’re going to love and enjoy every bit of it.

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The edible and delicious Eggs

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While it has been said that to get the good stuffs from food (I mean vitamins, minerals and other important micronutrients) we must consume a lot of vegetables and fruits. It is particularly true but the nutritional value of these fruits and vegetables does not rival what we get from eggs.

Proteins are organic molecules of different amino acid composition which are basically the building blocks of life. There are two forms of amino acids in the body, the nonessential amino acids which the body produces by itself and we have the essential amino acids which the body cannot produce and we have to consume them in our diet for us to have it in the body.

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Why are proteins essential

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I'm sure by now you are already thinking I have scammed you into reading about protein rather than what was promised. To fully understand the importance of eggs we have to understand the importance of protein.
Protein in its infinite mercies helps us regenerate worn out cells and also acts as a commuter which helps us delivery different substances that aid growth and body repair (like a panel beater) in various parts of the body.
When we digest protein, our body break it down to the individual amino acids that make up the protein. Each of these amino acids have their own functions, some produce body molecules like enzymes, hormones and so on. So clearly, without proteins in our system we can't function properly.

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Benefits of eggs

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Egg(of course I'm talking about chicken egg) is so nutritious and its contains quite a whole lot of vitamins and minerals that are essential for the growth and wellbeing of the human brain and body system . It contains protein that’s necessary for the growth of certain cells and tissues In the body and it also helps in fixing certain problems and deficiency in the body system Here is a list of other essential nutrients found in eggs they include protein , iron , vitamin E , vitamin D , iodine , vitamin A , vitamin B-2 , vitamin B12 , selenium and lots more . The health benefits of eggs are pretty numerous and it helps a whole lot in maintaining the human brain from functioning real well and it also helps in keeping the muscles in good shape and condition . It helps in the smooth coordination of the nervous system and memory. The vitamins present in egg aids good eyesight and it also helps in keeping the skin looking all fresh and healthy . it also helps greatly in keeping the immune system all active and strong . Eggs also helps in building up cells and tissues in the body and also helps greatly in weight management and energy production. Egg is readily available and it’s the cheapest source of protein available . The hens generally doesn’t need to mate with a rooster before it can produces eggs . Their body is developed in such a way that they produces one egg every 24-27 hours, amazing isn’t?

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The egg formation process

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Do you know that hens just like women ovulate and their ovulation can be likened to that of egg formation process. The reproductive system of hens are basically classified into two parts one called the ovary and the other called the oviduct. It is the oviduct that spends most of the time developing eggs and it has four different parts or sections as you may prefer it. I would do my best to explain explicitly what each of these part have to do with egg formation so next time you see an egg or you are about to eat an egg you would appreciate what they are.

The first step in egg formation starts from the ovary just like the woman has an ovary so also does the hen and the ovary is where the egg yolk develops. Of course egg formation starts from the yolk or what were you expecting.

If you have killed a hen before, then you must have seen some spongy things inside it with some big while others are small. If you take a look at these eggs closely, then you would see that they have lines like blood, well i am glad to tell you that there are other plane lines called stigma and this is where the egg yolk the egg yolks falls out from. When this yolk falls out it gets sucked by the other part of the reproductive system which is called the oviduct. The oviduct is like a “U” shaped tube and it has four different parts from one end of the U to another.

The egg yolk is picked up at the entrance of the U by a part called the infundibulum. People say it's like a funnel but they are wrong it's more of a muscle that grabs the yolk and directs it inside the oviduct. In the infundibulum the egg stays there for just fifteen minutes, if the egg is going to be a fertilized, it has to be done within this fifteen minute or else, the yolk moves on and the egg produced is a non fertilized one.

From the muscle like infundibulum the yolk which is either fertilized or unfertilized moves to the magnum. In the magnum the egg white or albumen is produced and this is done under the three hours of stay that the yolk encounters in the magnum. The rotation of the egg as it passes through the magnum development of what is called the chalaza is formed in the egg.

After getting through the magnum the egg yolk is now in what I call the other side of the U. And this place is called the isthmus, right here in the isthmus is where both the inner and outer shell membrane are added. There in the isthmus the yolk stays there for about 75 minutes, an hour and 15 minutes for this to be done then it moves to the last phase of the U.

The last phase of the U is where the egg shell is formed and laid by the hen. This part of the oviduct is called the, shell gland but you won't be wrong if you called it the uterus. Most of the time in egg formation is spent here it sometimes could take above 20 hours to get the egg shell to be completely formed in the uterus.

That's when you notice your hen with a loud voice and it starts to bend in one corner to lay the eggs. The egg shells are hot and soft initially after lay but as it cools it begins to solidify and get hard. This is basically how eggs are formed in the hen and i call it the U process.

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Conclusion

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I am leaving here quite fulfilled knowing that i have been able to pass knowledge across to both you and my younger brother about what eggs are, their benefits and how they are being formed by the hen even without mating.
While it's not so simple, I hope you were able to understand the process, I did my possible best in explaining how eggs are formed. If you still have any lingering doubts about the process let me know in the comment section.

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References

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I read the following books for more knowledge.

• eggcyclopedia
• formation of the egg
• egg-formation-egg-defects-egg-formulation-oviduct
• india study Channel
• Essential agricultural science Textbook by Tonad publishers