Chicken Life Cycle

Chicken Life Cycle

"The Egg" by Jack Prelutsky
If you listen very carefully, you'll hear the chicken hatching. At first there scarcely was a sound, but now a steady scratching. And now the egg begins to crack the scratching starts to quicken, As anxiously we all await the exit of the chicken. And now a head emerges from the darkness of the egg, And now a bit of fluff appears, and now a tiny leg, And now the chicken's out at last, he's shaking himself loose, But, wait a minute that's no chicken... Goodness, it's a goose.
What is a bird?
A bird is the only animal that has feathers.  Also, all birds have bills, have wings, and lay eggs.
What are the stages of the chicken's life cycle?
Eggs:  A hen lays eggs in a nest. Some eggs have an embryo inside.  An embryo will grow into a chick in 21 days.  The mother hen must keep the egg warm.  The egg's hard shell protects it while it grows.  The baby bird will use an egg tooth on it's beak to hatch out of the egg.  This can take a full day!
Chick:  The chick is wet when it hatches from its egg.  It has feathers called down.  The down will dry fast.  Also, chicks can walk right away.  They like to eat seeds, bugs, and worms.  Chicks grow more feathers in about 4 weeks. A comb grows on the chick's head and a wattle grows under the chick's beak.  Chicks resemble their parents from the time they hatch and as they grow.
Chicken:  Chicks are fully grown into chickens in six months.  Female chicks grow up to be hens.  Male chicks grow up to be roosters.  The hens will lay more eggs.
Click the thumbnail below to see a picture of the chicken life cycle.