Can chickens lay eggs at night !!

[Elite Silkies]

I've got one that lays at night.

 

[shandiane78]

The first eggs I found were laid at night. They had thin weak shells, and were found broken under the roost. Well, the next morning the hen who was responsible for those eggs was going wild exploring the yard. I think she was looking for a more appropriate place to lay! She was being so determined, she even got outside the fence a couple times. After that we locked her in the coop for a while, and she found the nesting boxes. She hung out in them for a couple hours. That seemed to calm her, like she'd found her spot. I also started offering oyster shell to help harden the eggs. Since then, she has laid a nice strong egg each day in her favorite nesting box. I think those first eggs caught her off guard.

 

[Sissy]

the first egg I found was large or should I say
as small as my thumb nail.
but the next day she learned to do it right LoL

 

[mdbokc]

I run some chicken wire right beneath the roosts and above the poop boards. It catches the eggs that are laid overnight and they are not broken.

 

[IttyBiddy]

I have a Welsummer hen that has been laying soft jelly eggs for 6 weeks. I've given her yogurt, D3, ACV, with no good results thus far. She lays at night and the egg is busted before I get to it. All my hens have free choice oyster shell. I'm hoping she'll lay shelled eggs soon. She's eight months old and is other wise very healthy! If anyone has advice for me, "I'm listening"!

 

[feathersnuggles]

Quote:
Some hens just have trouble like that. But, as an experiment, you can try giving her 1-2 crushed Tums mixed into some plain yogurt, for a big calcium boost. Mix in some dry oatmeal flakes into the yogurt, just so that she has 'something' to pick up with her beak. I did that a couple times for one layer who has always had intermittent soft shell problems. It seems to help her, but only temporarily.

 

[IttyBiddy]

Quote:
Some hens just have trouble like that. But, as an experiment, you can try giving her 1-2 crushed Tums mixed into some plain yogurt, for a big calcium boost. Mix in some dry oatmeal flakes into the yogurt, just so that she has 'something' to pick up with her beak. I did that a couple times for one layer who has always had intermittent soft shell problems. It seems to help her, but only temporarily.

You said it helps temporarily. Does your layer go back to soft (shell less) eggs? I will try the tums! Thanks for the advise!

 

[jcnick34]

I have two Americaunas and three RIRs that are a year and a half old now. One of the Ameracaunas is dropping a really soft egg from the roost in the middle of the night about every third day or so (no eggs any other time). She has been doing this for a couple of months. They have several places to get oyster shell throughout the coop and run and seem otherwise pretty healthy. Unfortunately she's my favorite of the bunch so no chicken dinner for me. Is there any hope that she will start making good eggs again? She did from last July (2014) until this August (2015).
I

 

[deakos]

I have what I think is a White Rock, two and a half years old that has laid a soft egg 5 of the last 6 eggs, most of them at night. Several weeks ago she finished a run of about 30 eggs, all good with hard shells but I'm concerned about what is going on with her over the past two weeks. There is one other hen but the White Rock is the top of the pecking order, eats and drinks normally, scratches and dust baths during the day, essentially no other indication of anything being wrong, other than the soft eggs and laying at night. She gets plenty of egg laying grain and I supplement with yogurt on occasion. I will say that I have always been able to tell her egg from others by a slightly rough egg shell coating (some rough areas and small bumps of excess calcium deposits).

Any suggestions, should I take her to the vet to be safe?

 

[chickcheese]

Hi

One of my hens is laying her egg at night. First she was not creating a hard shell only the soft sack, but now a hard shell has been created but it very thin and fragile.

I feed my hens laying mash, scratch mix and they have shell grit.
I have also been putting cod liver oil in there laying mash.

We got these hens from a battery farm and I think he sells the chickens that are not up to standards of a working chicken - if you understand what I mean. As I have another chicken that has trouble at times making enough calcuim to create a hard shell egg!

I spoil them terribly so I hope they have forgotten that terrible place we rescued them from

The main question is "Can chickens lay at night" and why??

I hope someone on BYC can give me some advice please

Thanks

Jean01

yes, they can lay an egg at night