What time of day do they typically lay?

[kimboolah]

I unexpectedly found an egg last evening, about 630. So should I expect that bird to lay in the afternoons? I thought I was supposed to check the boxes in the mornings, but today, nothing. I looked at them all, all lazed out and told them to "hurry up". they blinked.

So I know it takes 26 hours for an egg to do it's thing, but is it any time of day or night or is there kind of a schedule?

 

[Mrs. Glassman]

I have found eggs at all hours of the day.

 

[Judy]

They don't lay after dark, at least not normally, but they will lay all day long.

I have one who lays about 6 a week. She will lay early, then each day it will be a bit later, then finally she will lay around 6 or 7 PM, then she skips a day, then starts off the next day with an early egg again.

 

[Omran]

my hens like to start early, but once and a while some of them still laying in the late afternoon.
For that reason, I only free range them in the evening.

 

[LynneP]

Mine are the same as Omran's. When you know that laying occurs very 27 hours instead of on a 24-hour cycle, it makes sense...

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

What I've read is that they lay on a 25-hour cycle, but once the laying time extends to late afternoon, the hen will not lay after dark but will take a day off and start over again the next morning.

 

[FrenchHen]

None of mine lay in the morning.

But, since we can't free range due to dogs and a busy highway, it's fine.

 

[spotman47]

HI
My birds are up early but usally don't lay untill between 9am- 3pm in the afternoon !

 

[gritsar]

When you think about the fact that it takes a hen approx. 26 hrs. to produce an egg and there are only 24 hrs. in a day, it makes sense that each day the eggs will come a little later than the day before. Then it gets too late in the day for the hen to lay, so she starts over in the morning or skips a day and then starts over.
That's how it is in my coop anyhow.

 

[cposz]

Our 2 laying hens always lay in the morning.