Confused hen laying in the evening instead of morning

[melroseladi]

My hen laid her first egg on Saturday, in the run. I got no egg yesterday but did see her checking on the egg that I had put in the nesting box. I just went out to get them fed and spend some time with them. The hen was acting odd, going in the nesting box, scratching, back out, into the coop, back out, to the feed dish, back to the nesting box and back out. I was stooped down talking to them and she came right next to me and laid an egg, in the dirt again. It was 6:45, she laid her first egg late afternoon but she is getting later in laying not earlier. Is laying late normal and how long before she gets the hang of laying in the nesting box, if ever. I would like to let her go back to free ranging but I want her to lay at home not in the woods.

 

[robin416]

The time of day a Guinea lays is just like that of a chicken. It takes X amount of time to lay a fully formed egg, it might be less than 24 hrs or it might be more, can't remember right now. So that means that that the time a fully formed egg is ready the time will change slightly every day.

 

[casuarius]

my guineas always laid late in the afternoon right before dark. I believe most of my birds all lay later in the day as well.

 

[Whiskey Bay]

None of my bantams lay early in the day.I usually don't start seeing eggs until after lunch.Most of my laying hens are the same way...later in the day.May get one or two early,but I usually chalk it up to late eggs from day before...

 

[PeepsCA]

When my Guinea Hens started laying this year at first it was mid morning, then each day they'd lay a little later and later until some days it will be after 6 pm when I find the last couple eggs. Usually when they are laying this late they will eventually skip a day and then start over laying in the morning again, then later the next day and so on and so on. Kind of messes up their free ranging schedule, but I want eggs laid in my covered pen, not out in the poison oak bushes, so I deal with it, and they deal with it. Your hen may skip a day soon and start laying earlier.

Young Hens just drop eggs wherever for a while, until they figure out that a nest of eggs is a better idea (gotta love those pea sized brains, lol). Try adding a few fake eggs, a few of her own eggs that you have marked, or some brown chicken eggs in the area in the coop where you want her to lay, this may encourage her to lay there. Not all Guinea Hens like laying in nesting boxes, so you could try leaning a piece of plywood against a wall at and angle for a private place to for her to lay (be sure to secure it so it does not fall on her) and see if she starts laying there instead.

Most Guinea Hens do prefer to lay outdoors in well hidden but ridiculously unsafe places. Hopefully your Hen gets into the habit of laying in your coop!

 

[melroseladi]

Thanks for the replies, they are most appreciated. I have her nesting box in the corner of the run with a piece of plywood angled over it and I did put her first egg in it, and then her second egg as well. She does seem to be aware of what the nesting box is for. If one of the males goes over to it and then moves on, the hen will go running over to the nesting box and check it out. I did mark the first egg and will mark the second egg today. I picked the second egg up and put it in the nest as soon as she laid it, and she did watch me do that, then she went to the nest and checked it out. Hopefully she will get the idea. I really was not aware that she would be laying so late in the day, though. When she was free ranging I did notice that she would start to wander and look for nesting spots in the afternoon, so I thought she might be an afternoon layer, but dang I had no clue she would be an evening layer.

 

[DanEP]

Pretty soon she will skip a day and then lay in the morning. It takes them about 26 hours to make an egg so usually the time changes a little every day until its dark and she'll skip a day and lay the next morning.