Dear Aggie: Sorry.. Pardon my ignorance. Do hens have sex in order to produce eggs? Just trying to see whether it makes sense for me to ask this question I know that birds to not have sex, they just sit on each other that's all. But how am to get the answer, for my nine-year-old nephew asked me this question. I know we buy chicken from the shop but it never occurred to me to look for sex organs on chickens. Please guide me.. Thanks.
Regards, K
Dear K:
Hens have sex because they just love it.
However, sex is not required for female chickens to produce infertile eggs. Roosters are only necessary if one wishes to have fertile eggs for hatching.
Also, some people prefer to eat fertilized eggs with the notion that chicken sperm has healthful benefits for humans, although I am pleased to say that there is little scientific evidence to support this.
Finally, don't waste time looking for physical evidence because the primary differences between male and female are internal. By the way chickens are having sex when the male perches on the female, but if you want to explain procreation to your nephew, there are better models to suggest than the birds.
Poster Comment:
As God as my witness, I did not know that hens made eggs without sex.