PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



8 



The important parts of an egg are discussed in the text 



8. Chalazae, twisted cords of albumen which are attached to op- 

 posite poles of the yolk and serve to steady its position in the ^.Ibumen. 



9. Geoninal vesicle, the living germ cell, or nucleus, which lies 

 upon the surface of the yolk, recognized as a white spot. It may be 

 fertilized or not. As the germinal vesicle lies upon the surface of the 

 yolk it is easily reached by the sperm cells. 



Fertility and Fertilization 



An egg becomes fertile when the sperm (male) cell fuses 

 with the germ (female) cell. This does not always occur, so 

 that many eggs remain infertile. Where does fertilization 

 take place? Evidently not in the cloaca, nor in the lower 

 portion of the oviduct, for the shell and membranes and al- 

 bumen would interfere in these regions. Fertilization must 

 take place either at the mouth of the oviduct or in the ovary, 

 possibly in both places. The oviduct is about 18 inches in 

 length; and for the spermatazoa to swim from the cloaca to 

 the infundibulum requires several hours, as this distance must 

 be traversed before they can reach the unfertilized germ cells 



It is quite probable that some o'f the sperm cells find their 

 way into the ovary, as there is evidence that several eggs may 

 be fertilized as the result of a single copulation. In the case 

 of turkeys and geese one copulation seems to be all that is 

 necessary to fertilize all the eggs of a cycle, or clutch. It is 

 possible that the sperm cells remain alive in the oviduct for 



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