Do Chickens Lay Eggs in the Morning or Evening?

Chickens lay eggs in the morning since there is plenty of light. Exposure to sunlight also controls hens’ reproductive cycles. Chickens need at least 16 hours daily to make eggs. Most of your hens will therefore lay their eggs early in the morning. There are unusual instances when some hens lay their eggs late evening and at night, though this isn’t common in chickens.

How Many Eggs Do Chickens Lay a Day?

Most chickens lay a single egg in a day. Day-length, weather, and nutrition can affect a chicken’s egg production cycle. Although pretty rare, some hens, especially maturing young hens, can lay more than one egg a day since their bodies can release two yolks simultaneously.

Overfed hens can also lay more than one egg a day. It’s thus possible for some of the hens in your flock to lay more than one egg daily.

How to Make Chickens Lay in the Morning?

Check the ideas on how you can make your birds lay early in the morning.

– Feed Your Chicken Before Sunset

Your hen will most likely lay her first egg in the day seven hours after sunset.  During the nighttime, your hens will roost as they look forward to the next laying day. Feeding your hens with quality feed a couple of hours before sunset will encourage your hens to lay in the morning.

Ideally, feed your hens with quality feed at least seven hours before sunrise so that you can give your hens ample time to digest the feed and then make their eggs in readiness for laying the next day in the morning.

– Don’t use Artificial Lighting in Your Chicken Coop

Artificial lighting can make some of your hens lay eggs in the late evenings or at night. Nonetheless, artificial lighting will not encourage all the hens to lay their eggs simultaneously at night, especially if you have older hens in your flock.

Desist from installing artificial lighting in the chicken coop lest you disrupt your hens’ laying cycle, prompting them to lay in odd hours of the day other than in the morning.

– Keep the Nesting Boxes Empty

Some hens may delay their egg-laying cycle in the morning if they find other hens laying in the nesting boxes. Since some of the hens in the flock are timid, they won’t fight with other laying hens over nesting boxes.

Instead, such hens will delay laying until they get a chance to lay their egg comfortably in the nesting boxes, even if it is in the late evening. Having enough nesting boxes will encourage your hens to lay in the morning when they are ready for laying.

– Meet Your Chickens’ Dietary Needs

Hens won’t lay in the morning unless you meet their dietary needs. Your hens, for instance, need not less than 20 grams of protein to make eggs which they can lay in the morning.

The hens also need vitamin D from the sun in the late afternoon as their bodies make the eggs which they can lay in the morning hours. Phosphorus, calcium, and vitamins are among the many ingredients that hens need to lay their eggs in the morning.

Do Chickens Lay Eggs at the Same Time Every Day?

Most hens don’t lay eggs every day. However, the hens may lay at the same time each day. If your hen is used to laying at around 10 am, there are chances she will lay about 10 am the next day. However, most hens don’t lay eggs at the same time every day.

For instance, your hen could be willing to lay an egg in the morning to find another hen in the nesting box. In such a scenario, she will have to postpone laying her eggs until later in the day.

Weather conditions can also prevent your hens from lying simultaneously each day. Cold, for instance, will prevent some chickens from laying at the same time a day since it could delay your hens’ laying cycle. Your hen might lay a single egg one day in a week and then lay again in the late evening after two days during cold months.

Why is My Chicken Laying Eggs at Night?

Chickens lay eggs during the daytime. Nonetheless, you could find an egg in the nesting box at night, making you wonder why one of your hens is laying her eggs at night. First off, your hen could be laying eggs at night if you overfeed her with foods that promote laying in hens.

Secondly, your hen could be lying at night if she had nowhere to lay during the daytime, especially when other hens lay in the nesting boxes during the day.

A feeding schedule can also make your hen lay at night. If you provide your chicken with egg-laying foods beyond noon, the chances of your hen laying at night are pretty high. Some hens also need plenty of time to make eggs inside their bodies. Such hens can lay at odd times of the day, including at night.

Why Did My Chicken Stop Laying Eggs?

Almost every chicken keeper usually wonders why their hens have ceased laying suddenly. Lots of reasons explain why your chicken could have caused laying eggs. Check a couple of reasons below why your hens aren’t laying eggs like before.

– Lack Diet and Nutrition

The choice of diet you introduce to your chickens can stop them from laying eggs. Your hens could stop laying eggs if you change their diet suddenly without giving them time to adjust to their new diet. Cutting down on calcium and protein-rich foods can make your chickens stop laying eggs as usual.

– Insufficient Daylight

Hens need at least 14 and 16 hours of daylight to lay eggs. Your chickens could stop laying if they fail to get an adequate amount of sunlight, especially in winter when natural sunlight is about 9 hours every day.

– Hens Getting Broody

If your hens get broody, they will ultimately slow down their egg production capabilities. Broody hens concentrate more on hatching than laying. Broody hens may cease to lay eggs, notwithstanding the amount of calcium and protein you introduce to these hens.

– Aging

Aging can make a hen stop laying eggs. Young hens can lay up to two eggs a day at the start of their egg-laying cycle. Nonetheless, their egg production starts slowing down as they age. With time, they will stop laying eggs due to old age.

Conclusion

Chickens usually lay in the morning. There are, nonetheless, unusual incidents when chickens can lay their eggs late in the evening or even at night. Make the conditions conducive for your hens to lay in the morning by making changes, such as collecting eggs late in the evening for hens to find empty nesting boxes to lay in the morning.