Do chickens lay eggs only in the morning typically ?

[Chubbicthe2nd]

It seems that our chicken eggs only show up between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. is this normal? What is most normal for chickens?

I am asking because I'm trying to figure out if the sudden drop in egg laying is related to the food/water set up I'm giving them, or if eggs are going missing later on...

 

[Logar]

I am asking because I'm trying to figure out if the sudden drop in egg laying is related to the food/water set up I'm giving them, or if eggs are going missing later on...

If you are in the Northern Hemisphere it is from the days getting shorter. They will pick back up in the spring

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Some of mine lay in the morning others in the afternoon. I agree with the above comment it’s that time of year where the hours get shorter and many hens slow down if not stop laying until spring.

 

[NatJ]

It seems that our chicken eggs only show up between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. is this normal? What is most normal for chickens?

That is mostly normal.

If you look at a big flock of chickens, on any given day most of the eggs will be in the morning but a few will be laid in the afternoon and evening. For any single hen, most of her eggs will be morning eggs but a few will be laid in the afternoons or evenings or even from the perch at night.

I am asking because I'm trying to figure out if the sudden drop in egg laying is related to the food/water set up I'm giving them, or if eggs are going missing later on...

Either one is possible, but I think this explanation is the most likely of all:

If you are in the Northern Hemisphere it is from the days getting shorter. They will pick back up in the spring

 

[aart]

Mine usually lay between ~8am and 3pm.
Tho I have had birds that laid regularly later in the day.
New layers especially can lay anytime of the day or night until they get their systems evened out.

I am asking because I'm trying to figure out if the sudden drop in egg laying is related to the food/water set up I'm giving them, or if eggs are going missing later on...

How old are your birds, in months?
Do they free range?

Oh, and....Welcome to BYC! @Chubbicthe2nd
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Penpal]

Brahmas and Orpingtons lay not as often as the others, but lay as many or more eggs because they lay longer. I plan on getting a couple for this purpose.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It seems that our chicken eggs only show up between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. is this normal? What is most normal for chickens?

Most eggs are laid in the morning but some are laid later. There are different triggers that cause a hen to release a yolk to start the internal journey that turns it into an egg. One of those triggers is light. It takes about 25 hours for that released yolk to be laid (give or take a bit). They want that egg laid in daylight, so light is one of the triggers. Not all chickens lay every day. So if your chickens skip a day laying that egg will probably be laid in the morning.

One of the triggers is when a hen lays the previous egg. Each hen is different. The average may be 25 hours after the egg started its journey but some can be less than 24 hours, some quite a bit longer. If she is laying every day it is fairly typical for a hen to lay an egg an hour or so later every day until she bumps up against the end of the day. There is another trigger that stops her from starting a yolk if it will be laid after dark. So some highly productive hens lay five or six days in a row and then ski a day to get back to morning laying.

When I just had one green egg layer it was easy to keep track of her laying. She would lay every morning around 9:00 AM for several days in a row and then skip a day. Her average time was less than 24 hours and her triggers caused that egg to start first thing in the morning.

I've had hens that laid later every day until they skipped a day. I had one that was occasionally in the nest laying an egg at 5:00 PM when I typically fed and watered them. On rare occasions I've had a hen still on the nest at dark. She was not broody, she was still laying an egg.

I am asking because I'm trying to figure out if the sudden drop in egg laying is related to the food/water set up I'm giving them, or if eggs are going missing later on...

Another situation where knowing your general location could come in handy. If you are north of the equator days are getting shorter. Mature hens generally stop laying and molt to use the nutrients that were being used for eggs to make new feathers. Some of these will start laying again when they finish the molt, some will wait for the longer days of spring. Pullets often skip the molt their first fall and lay through to the following fall molt but many pullets will stop laying their first fall and molt. I suspect this is why your egg production is dropping, often dramatically.

There could be other reasons egg production is dropping, either they are hiding a nest on you or something is getting the eggs. You can try marking a few eggs and leave them down there to see if they disappear. But this time of the year it is almost always that they are molting.

 

[Chubbicthe2nd]

Mine usually lay between ~8am and 3pm.
Tho I have had birds that laid regularly later in the day.
New layers especially can lay anytime of the day or night until they get their systems evened out.


How old are your birds, in months?
Do they free range?

Oh, and....Welcome to BYC! @Chubbicthe2nd
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 3970564

Thanks so much! Your tutorial is quite helpful. I just updated my profile. I'm in North Texas, Central Standard Time.

My birds are 6 months old. We got them as one week chicks at the very beginning of May. They were somebody's science project, and I think they were going to be sacked, so my sweet friend with a gentle heart rescued them and kept them in a printer box during the school day. She couldn't keep them herself since she lives in the city.

 

[aart]

My birds are 6 months old.

Many first year layers will lay all winter....or not.
So the shortening days may be why egg production has slowed.

Another possibility is a hidden nest.
Do you free range?

 

[Chubbicthe2nd]

Many first year layers will lay all winter....or not.
So the shortening days may be why egg production has slowed.

Another possibility is a hidden nest.
Do you free range?

We did, but not at the moment. Right now they're all cooped up because our free range bachelor flock is going nuts over them. We've got to cull the bachelor flock before we let them back out again.

At the moment it's a tug of war between how much we like our roosters and how much we feel guilty that our hens are cooped up. At the moment the roosters are winning our hearts, but we will probably have to butcher them before the winter.

Then our hens will be free range again.

I noticed they like to eat grass, and sometimes peck longingly at grass whenever I open the door. I was wondering if this lack of grass could be causing a drop off in eggs. Alternatively, it's possible they were eating more bugs before as well. Whenever I watched them though, it always seems like the roosters got the grasshoppers. Now they're on layer feed with free choice calcium (crushed eggshell), and every third day or so I give them some kitchen scraps.