Egg laying after dark?

[Spartan22]

I tucked my chicken in bed after 9 pm tonite, I checked them around 11 pm to make sure they're fine since it started raining, lo & behold there's an egg under the roost. I thought hens normally holds egg laying until morning if they missed the laying day.

 

[Tanichca]

Nope, egg laying is on a strict, 25-hour cycle. If that cycle hits the egg-laying point in the middle of the night, the bird must lay an egg right then. Her body will expel the egg no matter what. She can't hold it at all.

 

[Teila]

Howdy

My gals may lay for 2 days and then take 2 days off, or lay for 1 day, take 1 day off, then lay for 3 days etc. I could have a hen lay at 6am one morning and the same hen lay at 3pm the following day.

I do not believe that the actual egg laying is on a strict 25-hour cycle. The release of the ovum can average around the 23 hour mark but as to when the chicken actually lays that egg, I think that varies.

Anyways, when my Silkie [RIP sweet girl] started laying, she laid her first 3 eggs at night time and after having 1 day off, laid the 4th one at 11:00am.

My bantam Langshan laid a soft shelled egg overnight just prior to going into a moult. I still get the very occasional overnight egg but it is rare.

I sometimes wonder if they can hold onto those eggs for a while? I have had a chicken dance around and grumble for hours because someone else is in her favourite nest box and then, when it is free, hop in and lay.

Just a thought

 

[aart]

Yes, the egg cycle is around 25 hours.
An ova is usually released only during daytime hours, shortly after an egg is laid.
If they lay late in the day, another ova is not released until the following morning...why they usually lay a bit later each day and will take a 'day off' pretty regularly.
I think they can withhold the actual laying of the egg if stressed or disturbed, and eggs released on the roost can indicate something amiss in flock dynamics.

All that can be totally null and void with new layers until their systems are all 'tuned up' a month or so after onset of lay....
...and with any live animal, anomalies happen.