BuryFCA1 Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 I went out to let them up this morning at half 7 whilst it was still mainly dark and one of the girls had laid already! Is this usual to lay so early? Normally, they lay around 10am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 I sometimes find an early morning egg. Sometimes it is an egg laid late that I missed (mine sleep in the nest box) and other times it is laid first thing. Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby22 Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 My girls lay between 7 and 8 am, sometimes a bit earlier in the lighter mornings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 My Queenie often lays really late in the afternoon, sometimes just after it has got dark. I think she is confused because I don't think she is really meant to lay in the Winter. None of the others are laying at the moment though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auntielizzie Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Out of four chickens, I've got one who lays very early in the morning - I go down to them at about 7 am and play hunt the egg because she never lays in the nest box (not so easy in the dark!); and I've got one who lays just before bedtime, again when it is quite dark. The other one lays mid-morning and the last one doesn't lay at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suebee Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 This week?.... Next week?.... Sometime?............. Never?.......... .......... .................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HennyPenny59 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 At the moment, im letting my four out at 7.30am, and finding 3 eggs in the nest box .... Ruby lays the 4th egg at about 8.30am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I have 10 ex batts and we are getting 5-6 eggs per day,there is usually 3 when we go at first light around 8.If we go a bit later there might be only 1 and a guilty looking chick we have discovered her eating an egg,so we try to beat her to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueandwhite Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Mine always used to lay in the afternoon. Now only Ebay laying and most times she has laid before I open the eglu door in the morning (about 7am). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charly1979 Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Marilyn laid today at 8:30 making an incredible racket !! Need to epxlain that its brilliant for her to do so but could so respect that on a Sunday morning not everyone needs to be told any other day and we dont get a fuss !! Ive just caught Prilly mid lay now typical as we are low on eggs and my mum needs some, are chickens phyic (cant spell that) I mean normally I have an abdunce of eggs but no today not enough !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckmum6 Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Around February or March!!!! I had hoped my three Sussex girls would have laid over winter - but no, they are all on egg vacation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Not very often at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missusmac Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 This week?.... Next week?.... Sometime?............. Never?.......... .......... .................. Same here....... Doing a lot of this and hoping to get a first egg soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_B Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 My Amber hen lays about 7.30 which is the time I let them out in the morning, and the White Star and Sussex lay their eggs any time from 8.00 till lunchtime. The Columbine hadn't laid since August for various reasons, but laid a beautiful blue/green egg on Monday so I am hoping she keeps laying - she lays very randomly time wise usually, which is why I have to check several times a day to make sure the pair don't go to bed on an egg. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good_egg Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I seem to be getting up to an egg every day at the moment, which must be laid between bed time and 8am... Perhaps I will discover who when I'm up a little earlier for work tomorrow - my money is on Dot, but where are Buffy's (crouching and red).... Nice to be getting them though, still get excited when I find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 2 out of 3 of my girls are laying most days and usually mornings. As i am sat here at 9.30am now Rosie is in a nest box and has been for about half an hour .Clover is waiting patiently out side with her legs crossed..........They have 2 nest boxes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckfest Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I am so that your girls know how to use the nest box. The first of ours has just started laying but insists that the garden is the place, she was anxious to get out this morning and laid it in the flower bed straight away I have put a couple of wooden eggs in the nest box but no one is interested. Is it possible to teach them to use it or will they find out for themselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suebee Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 I am so that your girls know how to use the nest box. The first of ours has just started laying but insists that the garden is the place, she was anxious to get out this morning and laid it in the flower bed straight away I have put a couple of wooden eggs in the nest box but no one is interested. Is it possible to teach them to use it or will they find out for themselves? Hi cluckfest, Is your nest box nice and dark? Chooks often prefer a dark, private place to lay, (based on their instinct to find a safe nesting place)... sorry, if you knew this already... ..... Mine all searched the garden, looking for the best place to lay, (making a heck of a racket in the process ) but because the nest box was the darkest, most private place they could find, they eventually ended up in there, (although there were a couple of misses) I found with mine, that if I called to them when they were nest hunting, they tended to come, and let me 'guide' them into the nest box. I don't know what your set up is, but with my last lot of chooks, I had to lift our first layer into the nest box to show her where it was. I don't think any of them even knew it was there! After one had used it, the rest followed without a hitch. (They had all gathered round her to watch and learn! It was amazing, but quite logical really, as it's not the sort of thing a mother hen would be able to teach, so they learned from each other.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayleybug Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I am so that your girls know how to use the nest box. The first of ours has just started laying but insists that the garden is the place, she was anxious to get out this morning and laid it in the flower bed straight away I have put a couple of wooden eggs in the nest box but no one is interested. Is it possible to teach them to use it or will they find out for themselves? I would be tempted to leave them inside for a bit longer until she has hopefully laid in the nestbox and do that for a couple of days until she gets the hang of it. Might that do the trick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckfest Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Hi Hayleybug and Suebee, The strange thing is that Rhoda is desperate to get out of the run (frantically pacing up and down by the door), to lay her egg in the middle of the lawn within minutes of being let out at 11am. We were able to see her do it today, she made no attempt to find a nest, and didn't make any kind of noise, just adopted a weird stance puffing her chest out and up (she looked like she wanted to sick it up rather than lay it ) It happened within a minute or so. She took no interest in it. They do all know where the nest box is, it is quite dark in there and they quite often use the entrance hole as a perch all night as I usually find a neat pile of poos in there. They also like eating the shredded paper in there but so far no one has taken any interest in it apart from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi5 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Hi, have you tried putting "dummy" eggs in there?? I had to do this last year (funnily enough just about this time) when Molly started laying she laid them in the middle of the run But once she'd seen the eggs in the nestbox, it was like the penny dropped , she got the hang of it and she never looked back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi5 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I have put a couple of wooden eggs in the nest box Ooops sorry just read back Maybe as she dashes out quickly pick her up and pop in to the nest box?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
