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Chicken Life Cycle
Chickens, no matter the breed, have the same life cycle. They go through a metamorphosis just like butterflies and frogs. Once the egg is laid, an embyro forms inside it and after 21 days, it hatches and the baby chick emerges. The baby chick grows up into an adult chicken and is a hen or a rooster.
The Life Cycle of a Chicken
EGG
It is ready to be incubated for 21 days.
EMBRYO
A hen sits on her eggs almost 24 hours a day for 21 days. She only leaves to drink and eat. The embryo begins to develop.
HATCHLING
The chick as it emerges from the egg shell.
CHICK
The stage when the chick begins eating and drinking on their own. By week 4, chicks begin to look like a hen or cockrel.
Adult
The adult stage is when you have a rooster or a hen. Roosters will court the hens and the hens decide if the rooster will become leader of the brood of chickens. Hens begin laying eggs and hatching the young.
Learn More about chickens
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