What time of day do YOUR chickens lay?

[BigBlueHen53]

I have no idea, frankly. I have 20-odd chickens (and, also, 20 very odd chickens, lol) and they lay when they darn well feel like it. Me, I gather eggs sometime between 4 pm and 5 pm most days. Occasionally if there is a hen on a nest that late I will have DH check that nest when he locks them up at dusk, and sometimes he will find a late-laid egg. Our hens free-range most of the day and return to the coop to make their deposits, then go back out to forage some more. They're very dependable.

 

[Vicker]

Most are laid by noon, but some come along throughout the rest of the day. Sometimes I find one after 5:00 pm.

 

[Sara H.]

I have 13 laying hens, and they will lay at any hour during daylight! Some days I find an egg in the nest box when I first go out in the morning (6-7 a.m.), and some days I'll find one when I'm closing them in for the night. But they don't all lay first thing in the morning - it goes on throughout the day.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I had a Golden Comet that laid at 3am on the dot, for 44 days straight. She'd get off the roost in the pitch dark and find her way into the nest box. It was amazing.

Every other chicken seems to subscribe to the 26 hour egg schedule, laying later and later each subsequent day.

Just got laying milk crates in the day-run and they're not very taken to it.

I'm also experimenting with having mine lay in different locations (I have to bring mine inside some afternoons during construction work). I don't expect it to go over well. Once they have their spot, they want that spot!

The only time there's an issue is when one girl has gotten a little too comfy in the nesting box that is wanted by the next pullet in line, with the nesting box right next to it that is absolutely identical to (and empty) remained shunned and unloved.

It's starting to sound like those left and right Twix commercials!

One of them dropped an egg at 3am last night while she was sleeping lol.

My poor Hornet just did that! I felt so bad. It can't be comfortable having to lay that way. Hoping ours learn to kind of "hold it in" once their systems get more mature.