Most everybody knows that chickens lay their eggs during the early morning hours. However, if you have gathered the eggs around 1-2 pm and disturbed one of your hens while laying an egg, the question must be asked: Just how late in the day do chickens lay eggs?
On average, chickens finish laying eggs about six hours after daybreak. Generally, all chickens are done laying eggs around 2 pm. However, it is not uncommon for chickens to continue laying eggs later in the day.
In this post, we will explore why chickens generally lay eggs in the morning and why it is not uncommon to find chickens laying eggs later in the day.
Why Do Chickens Lay Eggs in the Morning?
Chickens have a natural instinct to lay their eggs during the morning hours for several reasons.
First and foremost, it aligns with their biological clock. Like many other creatures, chickens have an internal circadian rhythm that regulates their bodily functions, including egg-laying.
By laying eggs in the morning, chickens take advantage of the optimal conditions provided by daylight. Morning hours typically offer a gentle and gradual increase in light, which stimulates their reproductive systems.
Additionally, the morning is often the calmest and quietest time of the day, creating a peaceful environment for hens to find a suitable nesting spot and lay their eggs undisturbed.
Furthermore, laying eggs early in the day allows the chickens to conserve energy and focus on other essential activities, such as foraging and socializing, throughout the rest of the day.
Ultimately, the instinctual choice to lay eggs during the morning hours serves as a survival strategy and ensures the well-being and productivity of the chicken flock.
Why Are My Chickens Laying Eggs Late In The Day?
Hormonal variations, environmental factors, stress, disturbances, genetic factors, or broodiness can all contribute to chickens laying eggs later in the day. These factors can disrupt the natural circadian rhythm of chickens and influence their egg-laying patterns.
- Hormonal Variations: Hormonal fluctuations can affect the timing of egg production. Some hens may experience hormonal imbalances that cause them to lay eggs later in the day.
- Environmental Factors: Changes in lighting, temperature, and other environmental factors can disrupt a chicken’s internal clock and impact its egg-laying schedule. For example, if the mornings are consistently cold, some hens may delay egg-laying until later in the day when the temperature rises. Season changes are typically to blame for this disruption. I’ve written an article on The Best Time to Raise Chickens: A Seasonal Guide if you’d like to check it out!
- Stress or Disturbances: Chickens can be sensitive to stress or disturbances in their surroundings. If they experience disruptions such as loud noises, changes in their environment, or the presence of predators, it can cause them to delay laying eggs until they feel safe and calm.
- Genetic Factors: Some chicken breeds or individual hens may have genetic traits that predispose them to lay eggs later in the day. Breeding and selective genetics can influence egg-laying behavior. I’ve always heard that brown egg layers typically lay eggs during the morning while white egg layers will lay eggs throughout the day.
- Broodiness: In this instance, the chicken is not currently laying an egg. Instead, it may have gone broody and is exhibiting behavior associated with incubating eggs until they hatch by sitting on the eggs. To determine if your hen has gone broody, the most effective method is to observe whether she remains on the nest during nighttime. If she continues to stay on the nest, it indicates that she is broody. However, if she is roosting during nighttime, it confirms that she has indeed finished laying an egg. If you’re looking for a broody hen to raise some chicks, check out this article on the Orpington!
Asking the Chicken Enthusiasts
Typically the morning is the most popular time for egg-laying. However, for this article, I reached out to a group of Chicken Enthusiasts to see what they said was the latest they had seen their chickens lay eggs. Below are their results!
I was very surprised to see the owners of Australorps laying eggs during the night! I’ve raised hundreds of chickens and never seen them lay at night, but this goes to show that a chicken can lay at any time!
If you’re interested in raising some Australorps, check out my article “Australorps Chickens: An In-Depth Guide”.
Conclusion
In conclusion, chickens typically have a tendency to lay eggs in the mornings, which aligns with their natural instincts and circadian rhythm. This behavior ensures that eggs are laid in a safe environment before potential predators become active. However, it is not uncommon to observe chickens laying eggs later during the day due to various factors such as hormonal fluctuations, environmental influences, stress, genetic traits, or the occurrence of broodiness.