What time do chickens lay eggs??

[wildsam]

Gingersnap722, Good luck with your eggs hatching!! That's REALLY cool!! I'd love to have more chickens and hatch some babies!! Unfortunately we don't have room though, just a smaller size coop for our two gals!! Plus my husband said, NO more chickens!!

You could always get ducks. Lol.
My chickens wait til the ducks are out of their house then go in one corner and all lay in the same spot. Usually between 9am and 12pm. And their egg song will sound loud and clear as soon as they're done laying. A couple won't stop cackling til I come out and acknowledge that I heard they did their deed.

My ducks are more reliable. Get one every morning when I open the duck house to let them out to free range. Plus, they are SOOO funny to watch!

 

[DarleneE]

I WISH!! But it would be a big fat NO from my husband!! We're supposed to be UN-complicating our lives.. instead, I keep adding pets!! Lol

 

[wildsam]

I WISH!! But it would be a big fat NO from my husband!! We're supposed to be UN-complicating our lives.. instead, I keep adding pets!! Lol

Lol. I hear you on that! He wanted to get some chickens to add to our pheasants we breed. So I told him if he gets chickens, I will get myself ducks!

He got his chicken and was not happy bout me hatching duck eggs. Once they hatched he fell in love with them and likes them way more than his pheasants or chickens! So much so that he decided he wants to get into breeding ducks, which is why my house is overrun right now with about 30 ducklings. And 7 that just went outside last weekend. Now just off to keep finish building our new duck condos. Lol...

 

[DarleneE]

Wow what GREAT stories!! I LOVE them ALL!! Unfortunately, our situation is a bit different. Here's the thing.. our coop is inside our screened lanai.. NOT out in the yard. The enclosure my husband made for them is of course out in the backyard, past the pool etc etc It's pretty far away from their coop!! SO, I manually TAKE them OUT to the yard enclosure every morning at 8:00 and bring them in again about 2:00!! It's for THIS reason that I ask about the laying egg time. They have a little cute tiki hut house my husband built them out there in case of any aerial predators and also we have a big umbrella out there for added shade..but NO nesting box!! I've decided though after googling it.. lol, to just take a large plastic storage bin and cut out an opening for them to go in (covered with some wood so they can safely get in and out WITHOUT getting their feet cut) and just putting some pine shavings in it for them!! I think this will work fine if they decide to lay outside. As for the person who suggested hay instead of pine shavings.. I didn't elect to use hay as they can eat it and it get caught in their crops according to what I've heard AND read.. and believe you me..MY girls WILL eat it!! They eat everything in site.. even pine shavings at the beginning until they realized they had much better food and treats to eat!! lol Also the pine shavings are only $5.99 for a huge bag.. and all I need for our coop just for our two girls is a bag and a half to two bags!! It's lasts two months without issues before we change it all out without ANY smell at all!! I use DE on it as well. SO again, thanks to everyone for all the AWESOME stories and advice!! Happy chickens to ALL!!!!!

 

[DarleneE]

Wildsam I'm jealous!! Would just LOVE some baby ducks around our home!! Actually we live on a pond and have plenty of ducks out back.. but of course they're not mine!! They ARE very tame however and eat right from your hand!! Happy "ducking" to you!!!!

 

[DarleneE]

Our outside set-up!!
And our inside coop in our screened lanai!!

 

[MarcoPollo]

DarleneE, they should do great with a plastic laying box. I've seen chickens nest in 5-gallon buckets, covered cat litter boxes, portable boxes made out of wood, etc. And like others suggested you could add a golf ball or a plastic egg to the bedding to encourage them to use it. Either way, they will probably get the idea.
The enclosure is adorable! I see why you lock them up at night in the safer coop. But their little run is perfect for 2 hens.

 

[DarleneE]

MarcoPollo,
Thanks for the words of encouragement!! I just LOVE your ID!! It's SO cool!! I'm Hispanic so naturally I LOVE the "pollo"!! HOW creative!! Thanks again also for the nice compliment!!

 

[sarahgutch]

LOL.   It goes something like this:
Haha my mom came to visit when our girls were tiny fluff balls and told us what her hens said back on the farm when she was the "chicken girl"
"bawk-bawk- BawkwhatIJustdid!"

bawk-bawk-bawk-baGAWK!!!!  bawk-bawk-bawk-baGAWK!!!  (and repeat…..and repeat…..and repeat).  Last week I had a hen get under my front porch to lay and started doing that right outside the front door.  I ran water to do dishes, loaded the dishwasher, scrubbed down all the kitchen counters, took out the trash.  20-30 minutes after she'd started, she was still going strong (and I was wishing she'd quit  )

 

[gfarnese]

Mine lay in a.m. to early afternoon.