Are my eggs hidden in the woods??

HerbsAndSpice

In the Brooder
Jun 16, 2017
25
7
29
Kennebunk, Maine
D3A5795F-8039-470E-AFBE-9489E2FCB505.jpeg
So I’ve left my small flock in the coop for the last two days because we’ve had awful weather here. On decent days, I let them out sometime before noon and they go back in at dusk. Today, I went out a little early and was surprised to see two eggs in a nest! These birds hatched in April and, as far as I knew, hadn’t started laying yet. The eggs were cold and in the same nest so I presume they are from yesterday and the day before and from the same bird. So is there a chance they’ve been laying for a while but have done so under some shrubs when they’re out? What time of day do they usually lay? When is the best time to let them out for the day? I have two EEs and one NH red. I love this site! Thanks in advance!
 
It certainly is very possible for them to be laying out somewhere. You'll need to go on an egg hunt! haha. My girls laid any time of the day before 4 pm. You could try keeping them in and letting them out for a few hours before dusk. Do that for a few weeks and that should train them to come back to the coop to lay.
 
I agree it is certainly possible one or more is hiding a nest out there. From the look of it, probably just one. Those can be extremely had to find because they are trying to hide a nest, not just from you but from foxes, raccoons, and other predators. Even when they are on the nest laying it can be really hard to see them.

What time of day do they lay? For a couple of different reasons most eggs are laid in the morning but they can lay any time from dawn to dusk. I’ve found hens in the nest laying when others were going to the roosts at night. There are certain triggers that tell them when to release a yolk to start the process of going through the hen’s internal egg making factory at a time the egg will be laid during the day, not at night. Those triggers tend to cause more eggs to be laid in the morning but certainly not all of them.

It can be hard to retrain one to lay in the coop. The way you are doing is probably your best bet, leave the locked up until she lays the egg in a real nest. That may take a week, it may take longer. If you can find that nest and remove the eggs that can help. That way she doesn’t have the reminder that the other nest is there.

When is the best time to let them out? After you see the egg. It normally takes about 25 hours for an egg to make its way through the hen’s internal egg making factory. One of the triggers to release a new yolk to start that journey is when she lays her current egg. So on average a hen will lay her egg an hour or so later every day until she bumps up against night and skips a day, resetting to start first thing in the morning. Another trigger involves daylight so she avoids laying at night. But about 25 hours does not mean exactly 25 hours. It can be less than 24, it can be more than 26. Some hens establish a pattern, some are kind of erratic. If you can establish a pattern that might tell you when to check.

Congratulations on getting eggs and good luck on solving this. It can be a bit challenging.
 
Keep an eye on the New Hampshire when you let her out at noon. If she has a nest and has not laid in the coop, she will probably lead you to it.

Good point, George. Watch her and when she is pacing the fence, acting like she really wants out, let her out and try to track her. That's probably your best bet at finding the nest.
 
It certainly is very possible for them to be laying out somewhere. You'll need to go on an egg hunt! haha. My girls laid any time of the day before 4 pm. You could try keeping them in and letting them out for a few hours before dusk. Do that for a few weeks and that should train them to come back to the coop to lay.
Thank you! I will try that.
 
Keep an eye on the New Hampshire when you let her out at noon. If she has a nest and has not laid in the coop, she will probably lead you to it.
I tried following her around a bit when I got home at 10:30am (they’d been out for about two hours) but they were all a lot more interested in following ME! I will try this again in the future. Thanks!
 
I agree it is certainly possible one or more is hiding a nest out there. From the look of it, probably just one. Those can be extremely had to find because they are trying to hide a nest, not just from you but from foxes, raccoons, and other predators. Even when they are on the nest laying it can be really hard to see them.

What time of day do they lay? For a couple of different reasons most eggs are laid in the morning but they can lay any time from dawn to dusk. I’ve found hens in the nest laying when others were going to the roosts at night. There are certain triggers that tell them when to release a yolk to start the process of going through the hen’s internal egg making factory at a time the egg will be laid during the day, not at night. Those triggers tend to cause more eggs to be laid in the morning but certainly not all of them.

It can be hard to retrain one to lay in the coop. The way you are doing is probably your best bet, leave the locked up until she lays the egg in a real nest. That may take a week, it may take longer. If you can find that nest and remove the eggs that can help. That way she doesn’t have the reminder that the other nest is there.

When is the best time to let them out? After you see the egg. It normally takes about 25 hours for an egg to make its way through the hen’s internal egg making factory. One of the triggers to release a new yolk to start that journey is when she lays her current egg. So on average a hen will lay her egg an hour or so later every day until she bumps up against night and skips a day, resetting to start first thing in the morning. Another trigger involves daylight so she avoids laying at night. But about 25 hours does not mean exactly 25 hours. It can be less than 24, it can be more than 26. Some hens establish a pattern, some are kind of erratic. If you can establish a pattern that might tell you when to check.

Congratulations on getting eggs and good luck on solving this. It can be a bit challenging.
This is great information! Thank you for taking the time to make such a thoughtful reply. I did not know about the pattern of laying around every 25 hours. I will keep them in their coop and check frequently to see if I can narrow down her laying time. Thanks again!
 

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