My 9 year old hen, Brownie, had an egg - the first in 4-5 years.

[trackfan]

I thought she was through with all that. She had been acting up; making a lot of noises; acting receptive to a possible rooster; her comb was red, etc. So we suspected there was some hormonal thing going on, but the egg still came as somewhat of a surprise. Good bird!

[redqueen]

1. Aww.. yay!

I love chickens. :)

What kind of chicken is she?

[trackfan]

4. She is a brown bantam of some type.

I'm not sure exactly. She's just a little thing, and most of her eggs have been on the small side. Once, however, she gave us the largest egg we've ever gotten from any chicken - about 5 inches high with 3 yolks.

[redqueen]

6. Good Lord!

:scared:

I heard that double yolks happen when chickens are stressed and fail to void the ... whatever it is... so it stays in till next time and you get a double yolked egg... if that's true, the poor thing must have been stressed a lot at that time!

[Blarch]

16. I had chickens 2 years ago, about 30.

The new chickens that are just starting to lay don't really know how to do it right. I noticed the new hens would lay double yolkers all the time, maybe for a week or two till they got in the groove....and I would never see one again.

[KitchenWitch]

2. That is cool!

You are aware, though, that this thread could become fodder for the copycats among us...

O8)

[trackfan]

5. I know...

but I was so proud, I had to broadcast it.

[lost-in-nj]

3. OMG

clogged for 4-5 years!!!!

FIBER in her diet......

just saying


lost


:hi:

[trackfan]

8. There'll probably be some spring in her step now...

[Brigid]

7. I had no idea chickens even lived that long.

You may have a record holder here.

[trackfan]

10. We've researched this

and there is not real good information, since most old chickens end up in a stew pot. It's thought that they have a lifespan just shorter than, say, dogs. 9 is already rare; 10-15 would be a real old chicken. She still seems pretty spry; and the egg is a real shocker.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. We want pics!

:bounce:

[trackfan]

11. I'm technologically deficient for that, unfortunately -

I may have one scanned on my computer at home though. (I'm at work now).

[matcom]

12. CHICKEN WHORE!!

:rofl:

[trackfan]

14. These eggs are free.

[Faygo Kid]

13. "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job"

[trackfan]

15. In this case, it's true!

[Xithras]

17. Wow, none of mine have ever lived past three.

Though that has something to do with the ax behind the workshop. We keep the hens until they stop laying, and then its into the dinner pot!

I always thought that chickens died of old age by 5 or 6. I've never heard of one living to 9. That's kind of cool!

I'll be honest, it's always hard to take out a chicken after knowing it for a few years (I REALLY wish my kids would stop naming the damned things). I wouldn't be able to do it after 9.

Edit for typo. I' haven't been raising chickens THAT long.

[Zookeeper]

18. That is so cool!

I would love to have chickens, however I'm pretty sure that my neighbors are happy that the city doesn't allow it.

How common is it for an chicken that old to lay eggs?

[trackfan]

20. From what I've read, they generally don't lay many eggs after

the age of 3 or 4. I pretty much figured she was done when she stopped a few years ago. That's why this was so surprising. Here in Los Angeles it seems a lot of people keep chickens. At about 4:30AM I'm reminded that someone in the neighborhood has a rooster.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

19. At least we now know which came first...

....

....

....

:rofl:

[xchrom]

21. way cool! -- yay brownie!

:applause: