When do you collect your eggs?

[vermontgal]

Do chickens get down off the roost at night to lay, or do they "hold it" until morning?

 

[the1much]

Quote:
they hold it,,, they cant see very good at night.

 

[Reinbeau]

I first gather at around 10 am when I let them out into the run (they seem to do the majority of the laying by then) and then again at 3:30 pm when I let them out into the yard for a bit before bedtime. Usually the early haul is at least twice what the latter haul is.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

In the morning when I go to feed. In the afternoon when the kid gets home from school, since she wants to go see her chooks. And again later in the afternoon when I put them up for the night.

 

[Sissy]

I check at 8 a.m.and never have
any but at 4:00 its pickup time.

 

[basicliving]

I work from home, so I take a break every couple of hours and go outside to talk to the chickens and check for eggs. I was out of town for a few days and my husband only checked when he let them out at daybreak, and when he tucked them in at night. I just don't want them to start pecking at the eggs and possibly learn to break and eat them. They've never done that, I just don't want it to start. But I'm crazy-obsessed like that.

Penny

 

[Gloria]

I have 7 laying and 6 pullets that are 21 weeks old today. So I check around 10 am when I go out to check the feed and give them unfrozen water. I go earlier when its nice out and let them out to free range. I then go out around noon and then 4 pm to check for eggs. I have 2 Black Stars that like to get the eggs for me!

So I check often.

 

[cajunlizz]

My girls have full access in and out of the coop .

Alot of times by 5:00 AM they are all out . I usually start picking eggs around 9ish and pick usually about 7 - 9 eggs by 9:00 AM .... check back around noonish and by 1:00 PM I usually have around 15 - 18 eggs . I generally check back every 2 - 3 hours ....

In my larger cook I have 8 nesting boxes and alot seem to use the same nesting boxes (

)

I have picked as many as 8 eggs in one nesting box .

My other coop has 4 nest boxes ....

I go often because I do not want eggs broken and the hens start eating the eggs , that would be a BIG mistake and hard to break .

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
This, plus the fact that around here they're liable to freeze, is why I'm going in more often than usual to collect. I'm really worried about breakage and egg eating, I'd hate to have that happen out there! But I guess when they have enough room that isn't as much of a problem??

 

[BawkinOnTheBench]

Quote:
they hold it,,, they cant see very good at night.

Unless they just can't hold it anymore, and then you find the eggs under the roost! That's also what happened with the first eggs from 3 of my 4 laying hens.

We generally check for eggs when we get home from work around 4:30 - 5:00. On the weekends we usually have our 4 eggs by 11 or so.