Thursday, June 6, 2013

Chicken Lessons: The Not-Quite Comatose Girl


Mammals gain weight during pregnancy.

Chickens don't.

When sitting on her nest, a hen's metabolism slows. Because she has to keep the eggs at that 100 degree temperature, she can't leave the nest for more than ten minutes. That's enough time to drink some water and get a few bites to eat.

But it's not enough time to eat as much as the other chickens -- who usually spend several hours a day foraging for bugs, grain, worms, plants and other food.

Thus, the hen's metabolism slows and she loses weight during the 21-day nesting period.


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