I’ve heard chickens can lay eggs every 1-2 days. It baffles me that something so (relatively) big can come out of them so often. How do they produce so many with such limited internal space? How many are developing in them at any given time?
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Others have covered how it works biologically for modern chickens, but it is also interesting to understand how the ability to lay so many eggs evolved.
The answer? **Bamboo**
Wild chickens are from SE Asia where they have a lot of bamboo. The bamboo will infrequently drop a bumper crop of seeds. This is essentially chicken feed.
These birds evolved the ability to constantly lay eggs during the short time when the food supply was plentiful. Locals then realized that providing a constant food supply would cause the birds to lay daily all year long.
Here is a fun animated [YouTube lesson on the topic](https://youtu.be/_NSekwyS4Ns).
Others have covered how it works biologically for modern chickens, but it is also interesting to understand how the ability to lay so many eggs evolved.
The answer? **Bamboo**
Wild chickens are from SE Asia where they have a lot of bamboo. The bamboo will infrequently drop a bumper crop of seeds. This is essentially chicken feed.
These birds evolved the ability to constantly lay eggs during the short time when the food supply was plentiful. Locals then realized that providing a constant food supply would cause the birds to lay daily all year long.
Here is a fun animated [YouTube lesson on the topic](https://youtu.be/_NSekwyS4Ns).
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I know an engineer who helped design factory farming conveyor belts. It’s fascinating and depressing. They live on a conveyor belt their whole life. The surface is designed to mimic being outdoors and they manipulate light cycles to trick their bodies into thinking days are much shorter, which leads to increased egg production
I know an engineer who helped design factory farming conveyor belts. It’s fascinating and depressing. They live on a conveyor belt their whole life. The surface is designed to mimic being outdoors and they manipulate light cycles to trick their bodies into thinking days are much shorter, which leads to increased egg production
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I know an engineer who helped design factory farming conveyor belts. It’s fascinating and depressing. They live on a conveyor belt their whole life. The surface is designed to mimic being outdoors and they manipulate light cycles to trick their bodies into thinking days are much shorter, which leads to increased egg production
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I read a really interesting book a few years ago about the domestication of chickens, how they have physically changed over time because of selective breeding, the role of antibiotics in farming, and the potential dangers of over use of antibiotic and resistance to them. A bit dry and depressing at times, but really well researched and thorough.
Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats
by Maryn McKenna
I read a really interesting book a few years ago about the domestication of chickens, how they have physically changed over time because of selective breeding, the role of antibiotics in farming, and the potential dangers of over use of antibiotic and resistance to them. A bit dry and depressing at times, but really well researched and thorough.
Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats
by Maryn McKenna
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