my chicken lays at all different times of the day!

[Chick CJ]

Okay, so I was wondering if anyone else has this issue. I currently have 3 fifteen week old pullets and one hen who hatched them. She has been laying again since around the middle of January. I recently finished building the run attached to their coop and have heard that keeping them in the run until she lays is a good idea and one that I would like continue on with when they are all laying. The problem is everyday her laying gets later and later until one day she doesn't lay at all and then the next she lays in the morning again.

Funny thing is since the time change (I know chickens don't know we changed the clocks!) she is laying less days than before. In other words she used to lay 5 or 6 days in a row then skip a day, now it is 3 or 4 days in a row and then she skips a day. She is an oegb and has always been a drama queen when it comes to laying. She walks around for up to two hours squawking and seeming like she's looking for a place to lay until she finally goes into the nesting box and does her thing which then takes her another hour and she does in total silence.

So, I was wondering, how can I keep her in the run until she lays when I never know what time of day she will lay? Does anyone else have this issue? How do you deal with it?

I am going to get 4 more 5 month old layers that are already laying next week so I am really wondering how I will deal with this.

CJ

 

[fancbrd4me02]

My chickens lay at all times of the day from early morning to almost dusk. My chickens are used to laying in thier henhouse, so even when they free range they return to the nestboxes to lay. I have found that the best way to make sure they know to lay in the designated area is to confine them (no free ranging) for a few weeks until they consistantly lay in the nest boxes. Then you can experimentally let them out. If they don't lay in the nest boxes, stop free ranging them & confine some more. Sooner or later they will learn the routine. Then you can free range all the time like I do.

 

[Chicky Mama]

Hi, I think I can explain a bit from what I recall our 4h Poultry Leader teeling us about laying. It takes a hen about 24 hours to make and lay an egg so each day is going to get later and then a day with none due to her cycle. The yolk spends 21 hours of that time spinning in her "uterus" forming the final layers inside and the shell and color. So that's why the times are different daily. Some days I'll have abunch and some days just a few,it's all good.