Eli5: how can egg hen lay egg EVERY day? Isn’t the processus of making eggs extremely needing in terms of energy?

Question

An egg weights about 60g in average, and a hen 3kg, how the hen can produce every day something about 2% of it’s weight like this? Which kind of metabolism the hen have to achieve this?

In: 32

Answer 1

Domestication changes things in terms of frequency and size, but most birds (and reptiles) will either reabsorb the egg if it’s not fertilised or eat it. It’s a waste of energy and time but the nutrients aren’t wasted.