Laying at night

[Big Red Roo]

Do chickens lay at night. I have gone out at 7 am to let everybody out. Found an egg in the nesting box Late night layer or early morning riaser?

 

[Equus5O]

My vote is for an early morning layer. I let my flock out of the coop between 7 and 8 am, and typically find 3 to 5 eggs at the time of turn out. I'm no chicken expert, but I don't think they're going into the nests during the night.

 

[Tala]

I had one lay from the roost after dark (between 5 and 6 pm)

I don't think they go to the nest box when it's dark out.

 

[eventhatcher]

yes! I have two chickens and one lays about 10pm and the other about 4am

 

[gsim]

I found one in the nest this AM and it was barely light outside. It was stone cold, so it got laid the eve before or during the night. My wife shut them in so I do not know if she would have seen it or not. She does not always see the eggs I find and may not have looked. I do not like them sitting so long because I do not want any egg-eaters to have to kill. I do have a night light in the coop. I have found four eggs to date dropped from the roost overnight, onto the poop plank. Have had mine for 5 1/2 months now. Have found an egg in earliest AM several times that was stone cold.

 

[patricium]

One of our Red Stars has just started laying, and she lays sometime during the night or very early am. I let them out of the Eglu around 6:30am, and the egg is already there, and cold, so it's been there a while. We have them under lights that come on about 6:15am. They go to bed around 7:30 at night.

We do have a baby monitor in with them, but she doesn't announce the event with egg song, so I'm not sure of the approximate timing. I'd be very happy if I could get her to use the next box area like our other layer.

 

[gsim]

I am amending my earlier post because I have now had as many as four eggs waiting for me in AM, so I seem to have some really early layers.

 

[smarsh2]

I routinely feed my hens before light, prior to leaving for work, and i have found hens on the nest at that time.

 

[maxandruby]

Earlier this fall I would feed at 5 AM and had eggs.
Just need to find out who the culprit is that lays while still roosting, tried of finding broken egg below.

I close them up about 8PM