Chickens reproduce sexually, meaning that a male and a female chicken must mate in order for fertilization to occur and for a chick to develop. The male chicken is called a rooster and the female is called a hen.
The mating process typically begins with the rooster performing a courtship dance around the hen, fluffing up his feathers and making vocalizations to attract her. When the hen is receptive, the rooster will mount her and transfer sperm from his cloaca (a small opening on his underside) to the hen's cloaca.
Once the sperm is inside the hen, it travels up to the ovary, where it fertilizes an egg. The fertilized egg then moves down the oviduct, where it is coated with albumen (egg white), a shell membrane, and a hard shell before being laid by the hen.
Under optimal conditions, it takes about 21 days for the egg to hatch into a chick. The incubation process can be done either naturally, with the hen sitting on the eggs to keep them warm, or artificially, with the eggs being placed in an incubator.
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