Old biddies started laying

[Lwiley1959]

My mom once told me that a chicken that quit laying eggs was called an old biddie,so I am not being impolite to my girls. Well, I have one buff Orpington that didn't lay an egg for over a year. This winter, I got three new chicks and finally got them big enough to go into the coop, separated from the flock of course, and the one I call Mertle started laying her big, beautiful eggs again. She lays about every other day. I am so proud of her. Is that normal? Her sister is much smaller than her and they are both 5 years old. I also have my three barred rocks that are a year old and two of them are mean and bite. They attack the new babies but are getting better. No bloody birds or anything. I gave them a hideout. They should start laying in about a month. I think I'm doing a good job protecting my new girls.

 

[nchls school]

My mom once told me that a chicken that quit laying eggs was called an old biddie,so I am not being impolite to my girls. Well, I have one buff Orpington that didn't lay an egg for over a year. This winter, I got three new chicks and finally got them big enough to go into the coop, separated from the flock of course, and the one I call Mertle started laying her big, beautiful eggs again. She lays about every other day. I am so proud of her. Is that normal? Her sister is much smaller than her and they are both 5 years old. I also have my three barred rocks that are a year old and two of them are mean and bite. They attack the new babies but are getting better. No bloody birds or anything. I gave them a hideout. They should start laying in about a month. I think I'm doing a good job protecting my new girls.

Not laying eggs for over a year and then starting again is not the usual. She may have been ill or something was lacking. I have a hen that will soon be nine years old; up until a couple of months ago she laid eggs. Then she started to molt. The molt is over and she most likely will lay again. She does not lay many eggs, but for being so old, she does OK.