What time do chickens lay eggs??

[Bo Garrett]

It depends on the time of ovulation which is prompted by photoperiod, the longer the day the more a hen is prompted to lay. When a hen ovulates it takes approximately 24 hours for the egg to be manufactured in her oviduct each layer being added as the yolk is slowly turning throughout the process. At the time of ovaposition (egg lay) the hens body sends the signal to ovulate again and ovulation occurs approximately 30 minutes after ovaposition which means that if a hen lays at 8:00 am on Monday, she will lay at approximately 8:30 am on Tuesday and so on and so forth until she resets her timing back to start by skipping a day.

Bo
OSU '92

 

[MarcyTheChicken]

Mine generally lay from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. As long as it's daytime they will lay whenever... and wherever. If your chickens are free-range like mine, you may find an egg or two underneath a bush or in other closed-off areas in your yard. One time I was worried that my girls had stopped laying altogether, for I hadn't found eggs for almost a week. They'd found a better spot under a lavender bush in my front yard and when I found it there were 12 eggs under there!

 

[Desert Clucker]

I am in Mesa, AZ and my girls are about the same age. As you, this is our first experience with hens. We have had 2 laid so far, but they are very sporadic yet. One came fairly early in the morning by one of our Leghorns last week, but the 2nd one by our Rhode Island Red was sunday mid-afternoon. Personally, I don't think chickens tell time, so they just lay whenever their body says so. As far as the nesting, I am sure they will migrate back to their laying box that you have provided. Ours did without any training or coaxing. Wish you all the best.

 

[bopup]

Mine lay eggs in the dog house close to the coop when a broody hen hogs the nest.

 

[AmandaChick]

I have hens that lay before 8 in the morning. And I have hens that lay as late as 6 in the evening. .

 

[jeanmarieblack]

My chickens lay at different times. Mostly in the morning, but occasionally I have a layer who prefers the afternoon. Do your chicken have access to nests all day? These need to be available to them. Chickens, for the most part do not travel more than 100-200 feet from their house. Very easy keepers and they are well aware of predators. They are amazingly self sufficient and, as long as they have some shade, do quite well on their own.

 

[JeanR]

It takes a little more than 24 hours to develop an egg from released ova in the ovary, travel through the canal all the way to the Shell Gland, the last major part to finish the membranes and add a good shell. This is the last part of the canal, and the egg passes soon after finishing.. So, while it seems like our hens lay at the same time each day (each hen has her own timing, but a flock will lay pretty close to the same time), actually there is a bit of variation-and while a few hens will drop their egg overnight on the roost or stay late in the nest, more often there will be a skip of a day (or two) and back on a schedule again. The dear hens do not choose the time they lay, but go to the nest when that egg is about to "finish" and be layed!
Amazing that most are perfectlybeautiful eggs, normal and, of the billions and billions of eggs layed every day, there are not really many glitches!

 

[mother chick]

I would advise against using straw. Straw is hollow and has a tendency to harbor mites. Best to keep your clucks happy and healthy by avoiding this. A small square bale of good hay will last a long time and cost less than bags of pine shavings.

 

[MarcoPollo]

My hens lay their eggs usually between 9am and 2pm. Usually. I have seen an egg appear overnight under the roost bar and also have found them under the coop where there was only concrete.
I love the egg song! I was driving through town today and heard the egg song from a chicken in someone's yard. Since no one was behind me I coasted and rolled down the window so I could continue to hear the bawk-bawk-baGAWK. I can hear my neighbor's chickens too singing their songs. Sometimes my hens make that noise though just to be noisy.

 

[NEChickenNoob]

Mine lay between dawn and noon. I have had one lay one time at about 3 or 4, but I think it was due to some outside stimulation (had to catch her when she flew the coop

).