What Time of Day Do Chickens Lay Eggs

Owning and raising chickens is one of the great joys that people can experience when they have a farm or a large piece of land. Chickens add joy and personality and fun to every home. They also add eggs, which can be sold to markets or used at homes.

Eggs come in all varieties, colors, and sizes. Additionally, no two chickens are exactly the same when it comes to their egg-laying practices and specifics. This leads many people to be asking questions about chickens and their eggs, such as when do they typically lay their eggs every day.

Ovulation occurs at different times depending on a chicken’s breed and the amount of and intensity of sunlight she receives. Chickens are most likely to lay an egg in the morning, or between 2 and 6 hours after the sun rises.

Of course, every chicken is different and results may vary. There are many other areas and issues related to a chicken that is intricate and interesting and worth researching before you invest in getting your own.

What Time of Day Do Chickens Lay Eggs

Is there an internal clock chickens follow? or does their laying time differ from day to day? Just what time of day do chickens lay eggs? As I’m sure you know, each chicken is unique, so outcomes may vary, but hens usually lay their daily egg a few hours after waking up, usually only a few hours after the sun rises. For most chickens, this is between 8 and 10 a.m.

Hens lay eggs at any time of day, but most often in the morning. Ovulation, or egg-laying, occurs at different times depending on a chicken’s breed and the amount of light she receives.

Why does sunlight have such a big part in when a chicken lays its egg? Because a hen’s reproductive cycle is controlled by photoperiod, or light exposure.

Typically a hen requires about 14 hours of light per day to lay an egg. This is why you see so many hens sitting under lights that are designed to look and feel like the sun.

It helps the egg-laying process. Without sunlight (or a substitute like it), hens will stop laying eggs. That is why it is vital a chicken is let out of its coop early in the morning so that it can experience as much natural sunlight as possible.

Wondered how long it takes for chickens to be mature enough to start laying eggs? find out everything on how long does it take for a chicken to grow, from a hatchling to when it passes.

Do Chickens Lay Eggs At Night

Many people expect or want chickens to lay eggs at night so that when they are awakened in the morning, an egg or two are waiting for them. But that simply just isn’t the truth.

The fact is that most chickens sleep comfortably on their perches in the dark of the evening, ready for a busy morning of egg-laying.

How Do You Know When A Chicken is About to Lay an Egg

There are in fact multiple ways to tell when a chicken is getting ready to lay an egg. Although these signs might not all appear at the same time, even a few of them will indicate that an egg is on its way. Things to look out for are a physical transformation, louder voice and an increased appetite.

Want to know what the 10 best egg-laying chickens are?

Physical Transformation: When a young chicken matures and is ready to lay an egg, its combs and wattles become larger. Young female chickens develop their combs and wattles slower than males and will change from light pink to brighter red in color. They will also swell, indicating that she is of age and ready to give eggs.

Louder Voice: A chicken is known to have an “egg song” which is the crowing a rooster does when she is getting closer and closer to laying an egg. It might be a bit jarring and even a bit irritating too but it’s a good sign that an egg is on the way. A chicken might sing and sing for hours before laying an egg so you should expect your young chickens to become much more talkative at this stage.

Increased Appetite: As the hen gets ready to begin laying eggs, her body will be changing a lot and that takes up a lot of energy – and requires a lot more. Therefore, you should expect to see our chicken be very hungry in the lead up to laying eggs. She will be needing extra nutrients and protein and will receive all of that from her feed. Eating a lot more is a good, reliable sign that she is preparing to lay eggs.

Squatting: Squatting with wings to the side is a sign from a hen that she is ready to find her mate and fertilize her eggs. If you see your hen doing this more and more often, that is a very strong indicator that she is of age and ready to start developing and laying eggs. 

Of course, these are just some of the signs and if you own a chicken you might discover they have very particular and unique signs of their own that are totally unrelated.

How Many Times a Day Do Chickens Lay Eggs

Chickens lay a few eggs a week. Different breeds lay different amounts with some of the highest yielding chickens laying around one egg per day. Many times you will walk away from the coop empty-handed. Therefore, expect hens to lay once a day at the very best and a few times a week on average.

Some people are under the assumption that chickens lay many eggs in one day. In fact, some people think that they will come to the chicken coop in the morning and find a whole mountain of eggs waiting for them. But that simply is not the truth.

Although all chickens are different and some follow a schedule that is unique and solely their own, chickens are believed to lay one egg every 25 to 28 hours, based on the breed of the chicken and other external and internal factors. With that information in hand, it seems that they could lay an hour later each day until the day was skipped.

Why Do My Chickens Lay Eggs in the Afternoon

Sometimes a hen will lay her egg at a time that is radically different from the early morning schedule you are used to. If this happens, there is no cause for concern.

Sometimes a chicken might lay an egg in the afternoon – or even later – and this is just due to her egg-laying cycle. Remember, a chicken lays an egg every 25 to 28 hours. If she happens to lay an egg in the late morning one day, you have a full day before she will do so again. This could push back her timetable and make her egg-laying later than expected.

If your chicken lays an egg later in the day, you should not be alarmed. As long as she is laying her eggs within about 25 to 28 hours of each one, you know she is still on track and doing just fine.

How Chickens Lay Eggs at the Same Time Everyday

Some people feel that their chickens lay eggs at the exact same time every single day. They say that they can even set their watches to it.

The truth is that chickens are running on an internal clock inside of them and, oftentimes, it does seem like they lay their eggs at the same time daily. But in reality, they are just following their bodily function.

A chicken typically lays an egg every 25 to 28 hours. Depending on the chicken, they can be quite consistent with this schedule. This will lead to a chicken seemingly laying an egg at almost the exact same time daily. Of course, there will be some differences for most chickens. Still, they will most likely lay eggs close to the same time daily when they are on the right schedule and are given proper sunlight and nutrients and a coop that is comfortable for them.

Chickens are not choosing to lay their eggs at that destined time. Instead, they are simply doing what their body naturally wants.

Sum up

We looked at what time of day do chickens lay eggs and learned that hens can lay eggs any time of the day, depending on a few factors such as the hen’s breed and the amount of light she receives. She will generally work of an internal clock that has a laying cycle.