*your* oldest chicken still laying?

[mac_chooks]

We'll be getting chickens for pets as well as for eggs. How long would we expect out chooks to live and past year 2, what sort of egg laying?

I changed the subject to solicit replies. I'm really curious -- especially urban chicken folks who plan to have a few birds for a while. We're getting three: an Ameraucana, a Golden Laced Wyandotte and an Australorp (not sure about the third necessarily). If they live 10 years and only lay well for three then I'll still keep them as pets but it just won't be as ... eggy.

 

[DoctorGoose]

My BR hen lived for 7 years before she was eaten by a predator. She layed until she was around 4--and after that, we couldn't find any eggs, so I guess she stopped laying then!

 

[thndrdancr]

This subject came up before and amazed me. On the last post asking this, the answers were one member on here that lives in Australia that has a hen that is about 16 years old and still occasionally lays. Another lived in New York and had 3 hens that were 9 years and still laying. So it CAN happen!

Jill

 

[SpottedCrow]

Obelisk the Tormentor was 4 on her birthday on Memorial Day and she was laying until her moult, which is still ongoing.