very late egg

[Sue]

Normally the hens have all laid by around 9.30am but this morning was late to allotment due to farmer's market and found little Monica still sitting at 11.30ish. I went off to do some gardening and checked back an hour later and she was still there. Worried I rootled around under the poor thing and found the others had all laid and she hadn't. Half an hour on she came out of the henhouse and made straight for her favourite thing in the world - apple.
But no egg
After a late lunch I came back to the hen run and found she was back in the nest box... around 3.30ish she was out again and at last there was an egg.

Monica is a cuckoo Maran, quite a small bird and always lays a small egg, this one was no different in size or shape, perhaps the brown colour was a little lighter than normal??

Anyone any idea what could have been causing the delay? I know I shouldn't have any favourites but dear dim Monica is such a love, am hoping its one of those hen things and not the beginnings of a major problem.
best wishes
Sue

[Glutton4...]

Well, I'm no expert, and that's a little late, but I certainly wouldn't worry (but I'm not a worrier). We reduced the size of our run today, so one lot of fence could go to make the new run in my 'allotment' (adopted bit of paddock). We didn't start this until well after three o'clock. When we went back to move the girls later this afternoon, there was an egg. Just sitting there in the grass. Can't have been laid before half-three!

[Nicos]

Mine have laid as late as 5pm!...and that was a while ago when the days were shorter...who knows what summer may bring???

[MaureenHall]

Don't worry. Eggs take around 25 hours to be "made" so it might just be one of her "late" days. She'll get back on track, don't be surprised if she doesn't lay one tomorrow but lays Mondays really early

[di]

We've occasionally had really late ones,like the others have said,really don't think it's anything you need to worry about!

[Sue]

Thanks everyone and esp Maureen for being of such good heart to answer after all your troubles. I'll see what happens today
much relief
Sue

[Suechooks]

My speckledy hen (maran cross) always lays in the afternoon - she's too posh to push when there's anyone else around I think! Some of my ex-batts lay late on too cos when I go back to the lottie to put them to bed there's often an egg there then. It's a 24-26 hour cycle so don't worry.

[Flummery]

One of ours lays late a couple of days on the run then occasonally we get a day with just 3 eggs - as if she's catching up. We also sometimes get a double yolker after a 3 egg day - no idea who it is - or even if it's the same bird each time. I just think that, like us, they are all individuals!

[shirlthegirl43]

One of ours always takes ages to lay. The other girls get fed up waiting for her so just jump in the nest box on top of her and make her budge up

[Sue]

I love reading these stories of strange hen behaviour!
Monica is fine just as Auntie Maureen predicted, no egg on Sunday and back on schedule today.
I was worried as it hadn't happened before and she was on the nest box for so long
Thanks for all the reassurance
Sue

[HayleyB]

We get them laying at all sorts of hours, I normally put most of the boxes away at mucking out time (1-2.30pm) but always leave 2 down just in case and there's a couple of boxes in the feed room. Inevitably there's an egg later in the day. Like Anty Mo says their cycle will push them out of sync.