whats the earliest youve had a chicken lay?

[rubbertoe9999]

thats a good question i dont know can anyone tell us do all hens lay only in the morning ?

 

[tyjaco]

no. Actually mine lay throughout the day. I heard once (or twice) that hens develop an egg about ever 25 - 26 hours. So the time they lay will always be moving. Since they don't lay at night, when they get to the point that they would (with that 25-26hr cycle), they (somehow) just don't lay it until the morning. Then the cycle starts again.
That being said, I know folks who say their hens always lay all their eggs by 11:00...so who knows. I wonder if those people don't check the nest boxes late in the day, and so they don't really know when the eggs are laid.
I always pick up our eggs in the evening. They are always done for the day by about 4:00 pm. I check throughout the day, but only pick them up once (otherwise I lose track of how many I get in any given day)

I just thought of this - my layers are all different breeds (I only have 4 who are laying right now - with 8 pullets in the wings). Could that be why mine lay at different times? Would, say 2 leghorns lay about the same time of day as each other?

When my pullets start laying, I'll find out - I have more than one of each this time...

 

[Fierlin1182]

Hens can lay at any time during the day. Sometimes if there's a little hiccup in the system hens can lay twice in one day, once in the morning and then in the evening.
Anyway, my chickens have progressively gotten earlier during the years. I used to be able to see them on the nest and give them a pat but nowadays the sneaky birds are laying before we've even gotten out of bed.

 

[OnceAroundTheBlock]

A day or two shy of 24 weeks for my 2 "mutt" hens, brown eggs from them both.


I guess I misunderstood the question and thought the OP was asking at what age they laid? Ok, my 2 usually lay their eggs around 11AM. I know this because that's when I hear their "egg song".

 

[Joe.G]

Mine always lay between 11 Am and 1 Pm, My gunieas who knows they lay when ever and where ever they want.

 

[cary 1973]

HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP A EGG IN BOX THE REASON I ASK AND I DO HAVE SOME TIME BEFORE I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS BUT ITS GOING TO BE MY NIECES JOB TO GET EGGS SHE IS SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT BUT WHEN IN SCHOOL SHE DONT GET HOME TILL 3PM AND I WAS TOLD THEY WILL GO BAD BY THEN. I KNOW DURING SUMMER TIME WE NEED TO GET THEM OUT ASAP WHEN WE ARE AT 120 BUT DURING THE REST OF THE YEAR WOULD 3PM BE OK FOR HER TO GET THEM OR DO I NEED TO BRAKE HER HEART.

 

[satay]

HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP A EGG IN BOX THE REASON I ASK AND I DO HAVE SOME TIME BEFORE I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS BUT ITS GOING TO BE MY NIECES JOB TO GET EGGS SHE IS SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT BUT WHEN IN SCHOOL SHE DONT GET HOME TILL 3PM AND I WAS TOLD THEY WILL GO BAD BY THEN. I KNOW DURING SUMMER TIME WE NEED TO GET THEM OUT ASAP WHEN WE ARE AT 120 BUT DURING THE REST OF THE YEAR WOULD 3PM BE OK FOR HER TO GET THEM OR DO I NEED TO BRAKE HER HEART.

They won't go bad by the time she gets home. My teenage son collects eggs every day after 4 pm when he gets home from school. it is really hot and humid here in summer and our eggs are fine to eat.

 

[rubbertoe9999]

no actually the original question was about what age they lay it just kinda took a u turn and went a diffrent way a bit but good info too .

 

[Time-Out]

My Sebright and Friesian didn't start until they were six months, but that's because they came of age in Winter. It did mean that they were laying lovely big eggs from the start, though!
Araucanas was about week 24, but they have been kept indoors, so no sunlight for them...
Sabelpoot was around week 30, but I think she wanted to lay sooner. She just didn't dare come off the perch because there was a mean cockerel waiting for her on the ground.
Vorwerks are only 14 weeks old and haven't started yet, but they've had plenty of sunshine, so I think they'll lay the earliest of the lot!

 

[Habibs Hens]

my white star which i s a leghorn breed started about 18 weeks

when i told my breeder supplier i got my first white egg she was a little shocked too as to how early my hen started laying

my amber star who is now i think 20 weeks same as my white star still has not started laying