In breeding season, the male maintains a loose pair bond with a major hen and up to seven minor females. After mating with the male, the major hen and minor hens deposit their eggs into the nest with the dominant hen's eggs in the center. The minor hens take no other part in raising young. For the next six weeks, the male and major hen will alternate incubation duties, with the female sitting during the daytime and the male incubating through the night. If the major hen finds that she has too many eggs to incubate, she will roll the minor hens' eggs out to the edge of the nest, where they will not be incubated. The eggs at the edge of the nest are also more likely to be predated. After the chicks hatch, both parents raise and protect the young. Often, chicks from several parents are tended together. What are the benefits of being a minor hen? First, there are fewer males than females (1.4 females to every one male); thus, if the females are to reproduce, they must share the males. Second, there is safety in numbers: More eggs together increase the chances of survival. Fewer than 10 percent of nests survive three weeks of laying and six weeks of incubation due to predators, such as hyenas, jackals, and Egyptian Vultures. Only 15 percent of the chicks survive to be one year old, when they will be at full height.