The ladies have stopped laying.
This has come as no great shock to me, as their eggs were fewer and further between for several months, before stopping completely a little while ago. I thought they may have been taking a little break, and I also know they often stop laying with the shorter days, but to be honest, I think the egg laying part of their lives has come to an end...
Our lovely ladies, two chickens of some description and a silkie bantam, are a little over three years old now. They all laid fairy regularly, our bantam a little less so, but all good things do come to an end, and I think three years might be our end.
Fabulously luckily for me however, not all my eggs are in one basket, and I have a lovely supply of eggs from another (very generous) backyard chicken lover. And these eggs are HUGE! Much bigger than mine ever laid, and much more reliable too.
And the other silver lining to this egg white cloud, is that come spring, I get to herd the family out fancy chicken hunting.
13 comments:
Hallo Ali! Where will you retire your hens to? Your silkie looks so cuddly!
Oops hadn't finished, was going to say, we retired our old girls to a place that rents chooks out and they are now at a garden centre that keeps chooks.
I'm struggling to comprehend the "Rent-a-chick" arrangement described by Mrs Bok. It sounds as if it could easily get someone into a lot of trouble...
Lol, Mrs Bok the poor little thing looks a bit squeezed around the midsection there hey! I haven't heard of the rent a chick thing either, although it sounds as though it's got Mark's attention :D
Our lovely ladies will stay with us though, they are the most docile chickens I have ever come across, and am hoping they'll be a good influence on the next three!
I just found your blog tonight! She's a lovely looking silkie - a bit lighter than mine but just as cuddly!
I Love that Egg Box! I've not seen one like that before. I've never thought about what to do with a chicken when it retires? Be fun finding new chicks, will you get baby chicks or point of lay?
You must be the chook Hilton!
I grew up in a semi-rural area and my family kept retired laying hens - they used to produce or perish...
That hen looks like a rabbit body with hen head and feet! It's so furry.
I love your egg container.. I wish I could find a source of good eggs around here. We are not allowed to keep chooks, so I will just admire yours.
500m2 we bought the chickens as pets, that they lay fabulous eggs was just a bonus... I'd never make it as a farmer!
LBM, I've never quite thought of her that way, but I have always wanted a rabbit...
AA and GJ, I love the box too... I originally bought it for my mum and dad, and just recently they gave it back to me... I guess you have to have a high egg turnover to keep them out of the fridge... I just use it outside of summer...
Alecia, thank you :) Little Felix certainly has a good grip on her!
I look forward to your chicken hunting in the Spring. Are your girls doing a moult? The chickens I got last year, moulted and are now refeathered beautifully...but haven't come back into lay. They aren't too old...just too lazy. I hope they up their act in the Spring. The young ones are laying though...three or four eggs a day. I love the egg box too...and the silky, and the kids..and you!
I was so glad to read in your comments that you're keeping your chooks - I worry about the day when they stop laying - I don't know how we'd ever part with them. We might have to go back to buying eggs!
Hazel I think mine have moulted already, although the little silkie seems to always look the same - small, fluffy and slightly hilarious... and thank you :)
Celia I am really lucky that I have eggs passed on to me, I'd be very sad if I had to buy them again, and I think I'd be in more of a hurry to get some more hens! We are allowed to have 6 where I live, so I can easily keep ours and just get three more :)
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