Chicken anatomy and egg formation: How does a chicken digest feed?

Have you ever thought about what happens between when a hen eats at the feeder and when she lays an egg 24 to 26 hours later?

To help answer how chickens lay eggs and how feed impacts that process, Patrick Biggs, Ph.D., flock nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition, recently discussed bird anatomy with two backyard chicken bloggers: The Chicken Chick, Kathy Shea Mormino; and The Garden Fairy, Julie Harrison.

During a tour of the Purina Animal Nutrition Center in Gray Summit, Missouri, Biggs explained once a crumble or pellet is consumed by a bird, it travels through a unique pathway for digestion with each ingredient serving a specific purpose.