We have a flock of five of different breeds raised this past spring. Only one is laying and has been for two weeks. One other seems very close to starting and the others seem a little behind her. For the one that is laying I'm wondering:
Can the egg production/laying cycle be shorter than 24 hours?
The first time she laid it was around 2PM. Each day it was about one hour earlier. For the past three days (just after her first laying at dawn) we've found one egg under the roost bar where she was sleeping. For the two weeks prior to this she has used the nest boxes perfectly.
"They" say chickens don't lay in their sleep. "They" also say the egg cycle is longer than 24 hours.
Could either, or both of these ideas be wrong? I guess we'll know in another nine or so days if she goes back to laying in the nest boxes before bed
Can the egg production/laying cycle be shorter than 24 hours?
The first time she laid it was around 2PM. Each day it was about one hour earlier. For the past three days (just after her first laying at dawn) we've found one egg under the roost bar where she was sleeping. For the two weeks prior to this she has used the nest boxes perfectly.
"They" say chickens don't lay in their sleep. "They" also say the egg cycle is longer than 24 hours.
Could either, or both of these ideas be wrong? I guess we'll know in another nine or so days if she goes back to laying in the nest boxes before bed
that very little is absolute truth when dealing with animals. There are general rules that most adhere to, but sometimes there are exceptions. When someone makes absolute statements about living creatures, I just shake my head.
Now if only the other girls would start to follow suit... but preferably making use of the nest boxes...
