• Question: how does chickens have sex?

    Asked by bjw1472 to Amy, Karen, Sarah, Vijay, Will on 14 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Sarah Martin

      Sarah Martin answered on 14 Jun 2012:

      Hi bjw1472, that’s actually a fair question, because male chickens don’t have penises. Both the male and female chickens have vents, which they will line up to send sperm across, which fertilises the egg the hen lays later. Sometimes it works sometimes it does not!
      When a male chicken wants to mate with a hen, he will do a little dance around her. Usally hens are not interested and just walk off. If a rooster feels like he just has to mate with a stubborn hen, he will chase her down. If he is fast enough to catch her, he will grab on to some feathers just below her comb and climb on. This behaviour continues typically only during the breeding season (spring and early summer).

    • Photo: Karen Reed

      Karen Reed answered on 15 Jun 2012:

      Hiya bjw1472 – great question which I didn’t know the answer to. I’d have had to look it up but no need as Sarah’s given a lovely answer already. Cheers.
      I didn’t know chickens don’t have penises.

    • Photo: Amy Birch

      Amy Birch answered on 15 Jun 2012:

      Hi bjw1472,
      Sarah has explained it very well!
      Actually most male birds don’t have penises. Male geese, ducks and swans have retractable penises because they often mate in water & having a penis helps to stop the sperm from washing away.

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