Still Laying at 7

Chicketeer

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Hello

My 7 year old Silver Laced Wyandotte bantam has resumed laying this year. Last year the vet gave her a hormone implant to stop her laying as she had become prone to prolapses.

In the meantime I added 3 pekin bantams to my existing 2 Wyandotte bantams. Sadly the other of the elderly Wyandotte passed away and two of the pekins had problems and had to be pts. Florence the Wyandotte and Dolly the Pekin are becoming best friends now that they can run round in the garden after Avian Flu restrictions have been lifted, though Florence makes it perfectly clear that she is Queen. She is a different bird, sprightly and full of life now that she has a young subject in tow.

I digress ..... would the older hen's eggs be suitable for eating? The shells are improving in quality compared with her first few. Which I didn't use as they seemed a little translucent, I was thinking they would be OK for baking?

Kind wishes

Anna
 

Marigold

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Hi Anna, yes so long as the shells and inner membrane are intact they should be fine to eat, even if soft or very fragile. Not suitable for boiled eggs, probably, as the expansion of the air pocket would be likely to break open the shell in the hot water, - but it would be a pity to waste them, wouldn’t it, after such a length of productive life.
I hope your old girl stays free of further prolapse. It’s interesting to know that her implant wore off in the face of renewed hormonal activity in Springtime.
 

Chicketeer

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Hi Marigold, she's a treasure indeed and her eggs have always been beautiful. I shall definitely be putting them to good use. Thank you
 

Margaid

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I used to get the occasional soft shelled egg, I just pinched the membrane carefully between finger and thumb and snipped it with scissors. The resulting fried or scrambled eggs were as good as all the other eggs.
 

Marigold

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Very good photo. If I ever get to be as old in human years as she is in chicken years, I hope I look as with-it as Florence.

(I presume the average life expectancy of a laying hen is 4- 5 years? So each year = 20 for a human? So a human Florence would now be around 140?)
 
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