diff --git a/src/main/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/GelfMessage.java b/src/main/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/GelfMessage.java
index c1682aa91..5f96c291d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/GelfMessage.java
+++ b/src/main/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/GelfMessage.java
@@ -378,14 +378,14 @@ public ByteBuffer toTCPBuffer(ByteBuffer buffer) {
     protected ByteBuffer[] sliceDatagrams(ByteBuffer source, int datagrams, ByteBuffer target) {
         int messageLength = source.limit();
 
-        byte[] msgId = generateMsgId();
+        long msgId = generateMsgId();
 
         // Reuse length of datagrams array since this is supposed to be the correct number of datagrams
         ByteBuffer[] slices = new ByteBuffer[datagrams];
         for (int idx = 0; idx < datagrams; idx++) {
 
             int start = target.position();
-            target.put(GELF_CHUNKED_ID).put(msgId).put((byte) idx).put((byte) datagrams);
+            target.put(GELF_CHUNKED_ID).putLong(msgId).put((byte) idx).put((byte) datagrams);
 
             int from = idx * maximumMessageSize;
             int to = from + maximumMessageSize;
@@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ protected ByteBuffer[] sliceDatagrams(ByteBuffer source, int datagrams, ByteBuff
         return slices;
     }
 
-    byte[] generateMsgId() {
+    long generateMsgId() {
         // Considerations about generating the message ID: The GELF documentation suggests to
         // "[g]enerate [the id] from millisecond timestamp + hostname for example":
         // https://docs.graylog.org/en/3.1/pages/gelf.html#chunking
@@ -428,17 +428,15 @@ byte[] generateMsgId() {
         // Thus, we just need six seconds which will require two bytes. Then we can spend six bytes
         // on a random number.
 
-        return ByteBuffer.allocate(8).putLong(getRandomLong())
-                // Overwrite the last two bytes with the timestamp.
-                .putShort(6, getCurrentTimeMillis()).array();
+        return (getCurrentTimeMillis() & 0xFFFF000000000000L) | (getRandomLong() & 0x0000FFFFFFFFFFFFL);
     }
 
     long getRandomLong() {
         return rand.nextLong();
     }
 
-    short getCurrentTimeMillis() {
-        return (short) System.currentTimeMillis();
+    long getCurrentTimeMillis() {
+        return System.currentTimeMillis();
     }
 
     private byte[] gzipMessage(byte[] message) {
diff --git a/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/GelfMessageUnitTests.java b/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/GelfMessageUnitTests.java
index e8fe75417..c18693187 100644
--- a/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/GelfMessageUnitTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/GelfMessageUnitTests.java
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@
 
 import static biz.paluch.logging.gelf.GelfMessageBuilder.newInstance;
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertArrayEquals;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 
 import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
 import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
@@ -189,15 +187,12 @@ long getRandomLong() {
             }
 
             @Override
-            short getCurrentTimeMillis() {
-                return 0x0603;
+            long getCurrentTimeMillis() {
+                return 0x90C06030090C0603L;
             }
         };
 
-        byte[] expectedBytes = { (byte) 0x80, 0x40, 0x20, 0x10, 0x08, 0x04, 0x06, 0x03 };
-        byte[] msgId = gelfMessage.generateMsgId();
-        assertEquals(8, msgId.length); // Just to be explicit.
-        assertArrayEquals(expectedBytes, msgId);
+        assertThat(gelfMessage.generateMsgId()).isEqualTo(0x90C0201008040201L);
     }
 
     String toString(ByteBuffer allocate) {
@@ -271,8 +266,8 @@ private GelfMessage createGelfMessage() {
 
         GelfMessage gelfMessage = new GelfMessage() {
             @Override
-            byte[] generateMsgId() {
-                return new byte[] { (byte) 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 };
+            long generateMsgId() {
+                return 0x80406030090C0603L;
             }
         };
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/PoolingGelfMessageIntegrationTests.java b/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/PoolingGelfMessageIntegrationTests.java
index 87d719038..efcc6eff9 100644
--- a/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/PoolingGelfMessageIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/PoolingGelfMessageIntegrationTests.java
@@ -114,8 +114,8 @@ private GelfMessage createGelfMessage() {
 
         GelfMessage gelfMessage = new GelfMessage() {
             @Override
-            byte[] generateMsgId() {
-                return new byte[] { (byte) 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 };
+            long generateMsgId() {
+                return 0x80406030090C0603L;
             }
         };
 
@@ -135,8 +135,8 @@ private PoolingGelfMessage createPooledGelfMessage() {
 
         PoolingGelfMessage gelfMessage = new PoolingGelfMessage(PoolHolder.threadLocal()) {
             @Override
-            byte[] generateMsgId() {
-                return new byte[] { (byte) 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 };
+            long generateMsgId() {
+                return 0x80406030090C0603L;
             }
         };