my chicken wont stop laying eggs (additional info added)

most people complain when their hens won't lay!

 

i read that a hen could lay up 20 years its rare but you never know.

 

Quote:Ive never heard of a hen living that long... 0.o

 

Friend of mine told me about a 17yo chicken at her parents place which, I believe still lays.. Albeit not all that often.

 

Do you mean consecutively?

My RIR's lay every day. I've yet to see any of them take a day off!

 

A friend of ours had a hen that laid up to her death at age 9. She laid 3 eggs a week every other month (regular pattern in an irregular sort of way ) towards the end.

 

When I was young we had a RIR hen that lived about 10 years. She continued to lay up until she died. Not consistently and not regularly shaped eggs but she tried at least one a week. Her name was Clara and we decided that when she died she was so tough that no one would want to eat her. He ruled the hen house and the cows and the dogs. She was one protective chicken. Mom has a picture of me in the barnyard with Clara following my every move when I was about 3 years old.

 

How old do chickens have to be to lay eggs jw?

 

Most breeds of chickens start laying between 20-24 weeks. The average longevity of a hen is 7-10 years although most don't make it that long due to predators. If you go to google and type in world's oldest chicken, you'll find Guiness Book of World Records records a 16 year old hen as the world's oldest. This particular hen never laid an egg and one vet said that's why she lived so long.