Is there a time of day hens will typically lay?

[NoelC]

In order to help our 4 pullets keep from pooping on their fresh nest bedding we have been using a cardboard barrier to keep them out of the nest box which hangs on a side of the coop from the time they come in to roost, until about 6:30AM the following morning. We pull out the cardboard at about 6:30AM but leave them cooped up for another 2 hours or so they can have that access time to the nest box, after which we let them out of their coop for breakfast and to forage. Since we found a soft shelled small egg, it appears they are now just starting to lay--yeah!

Do you think they need access to the nest box before 6:30AM to have a good chance of developing the habit of laying in the next box? Their coop is fairly small and I am hopeful that maybe using the cardboard barrier for a month or so they will be adjusted to roosting on their roosting bars in the coop, versus go back to going into the next box and poopin' their hearts out as they did previously.

You good insights are appreciated ;o)

Noel

 

[Erica]

Hi NoelC,
I would alter the schedule just slightly: if you go out at night and remove the cardboard after the hens are roosting, you should find the hens stay on their roost for the rest of the night and don't get in the box until time to lay. The thing is, they can lay quite early (as or before sunrise).

You won't have to worry about the cardboard at all the following day, until just before roost time.

By the way, if the roost is at the same level or lower than the nestbox, the hens may prefer sleeping in the box (so one remedy if that's the issue is to raise the roost).

regards
Erica

 

[NoelC]

Hi NoelC,
I would alter the schedule just slightly: if you go out at night and remove the cardboard after the hens are roosting, you should find the hens stay on their roost for the rest of the night and don't get in the box until time to lay. The thing is, they can lay quite early (as or before sunrise).

You won't have to worry about the cardboard at all the following day, until just before roost time.

By the way, if the roost is at the same level or lower than the nestbox, the hens may prefer sleeping in the box (so one remedy if that's the issue is to raise the roost).

regards
Erica

Thank you Erica! We thought of that last night before we went to bed but after they went into the coop, so we pulled out the cardboard at around 11pm and no poop in the nest and there is evidence, no eggs yet tho, that they did go into the nest at some point as you can see the bedding has been moved around. I guess since we found the first soft egg yesterday perhaps they are slowly gearing up to start laying soon now. The coop we have was a kit we put together and yes, the nest box is above the roosting bars which are quite low in the coop. We might be able to take the nesting box off and lower it, then raise the bars, but it would be hard to do as there just isn't much wiggle room for rearranging. Possible though I'll take a look today and see if there is enough headroom for them to get up to the roosting bars if I can make them meaningfully high enough relative to the opening to the nest, which we would have to lower, as in virtually at ground level--it hangs off of one side about 8" above grade.

 

[Cocotte]

I get eggs at all different times with 4 chickens. Sometimes one will lay an egg really early in the morning, sometimes its in the afternoon and sometimes its almost evening. My kids and I usually check a few times a day. Mine aren't predictable at all.

 

[Roosterlover5]

Quote: Same here.