Life Cycle of a Bird

Most animals come from eggs. The eggs are produced by the adult female. Many eggs contain everything needed to form a new animal. Many eggs have a shell or outer covering. The covering keeps the egg from drying out. It also protects the new animal growing inside. Bird eggs have a hard shell. When the animal has grown enough, it breaks out of the egg. This is called hatching. Here you can see how a chicken hatches.

The new chick quickly grows into an adult. The adult female can then lay eggs and the cycle continues.

Egg
Do you think eggs are only for breakfast? The job of an egg is to produce offspring for some animals. An egg is the first stage in the life cycle for most animals. Some animals develop from eggs inside the mother's body, and some lay their eggs then the offspring develops inside.

Picture showing Parts of the egg

Chickens lay approximately one egg per day, however not every egg produces offspring. Eggs for different types of birds can look very different in color, size and design. Some eggs are green, blue or black. They can be freckled, speckled, spotted or dotted.

An incubator is a machine that provides water, warmth and fresh air to keep animals alive. Eggs are put on trays and loaded into a setter. The eggs are in the setter for 18 days. On the nineteenth day, the eggs are moved into metal baskets and moved to the hatcher. Baby chicks will hatch in two or three days.

Question
1. Can you guess which bird lays the largest egg?
Ostrich eggs are the largest eggs in the world.