The next thing that happens can well, really make a mess of your pond!  Usually early morning, however sometimes all day, you will see these large koi chase each other around the pond, especially in the shallow rocky areas.  This can upset pots, rocks and certainly water clarity!  The reason for this is very interesting:  The female koi actually has no abdominal muscles to push out her eggs.  Instead, the eggs are leaked out becuase of the pressure of pushing her around the pond rocks or plants.  The males will even exert a pressure 'bump' with their heads into her flanks to provide extra push needed to expel most of her eggs!

 

Now, a question we get a lot is why don't I have babies in my pond?  Well, now that we have learned how spawning takes place, if you don't have shallows, obstacles or mature plant structures it will basically be impossible for a female to 'push' into anything and release her spawn.  There are other factors such as water quality, the types of fish you host, etc. that can also play a part.