Solitary chicken - need advice

[KeithT]

i sincerely hope that I am not tempting fate but I have just calculated that my surviving Black Rock is over 9yrs old and still laying at least 5 days a week. The eggs are slightly smaller than they used to be. She is a big bird and still a beautiful iridescent green.

[Thumbcat]

That's amazing, especially the egg laying. My little Black Rock is my favourite so I hope she does as well.

[percy049]

My hybrids (including a black rock) are about 4 1/2 and are still all laying well

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Wow, that's pretty good . I've not had a single girl reach 4 .

[Saronne]

I have a 6 year old Black Rock who still lays about 4 eggs a week. She's a big lovely girl.

[KeithT]

I think I shall be on the lookout for another couple of hens in the near future having lost one 6 months ago and there is a second who is clearly less able than she was and stopped laying almost a year ago. They are both Noro Novobrowns, a Rhode Island cross, very friendly and prolific layers of large brown eggs until around the 18 month mark when they stop or drop to 4 a week.

I would like to find a source for Black Rocks in the N Cheshire area. The place I got mine from originally seems not to exist any longer.

[Lewis]

What a great age - and to still be laying too!

 

Not sure how far away she is from you but can highly recommend Bev's Rare Breed Poultry

[KeithT]

Hi Lewis

Thanks for that, as they are just off Jct18 of the M6 they are within easy reach of me in fact, all my chickens have come from that area over the last 9yrs.

I see that they also keep White Stars. I have had a couple of those; small VERY flighty birds but the first laid huge eggs weighing 1/4lb and 3" long! probably the reason that she was quite short lived.

 

I shall keep them in mind when the time comes to add more hens.

[KeithT]

I am now becoming worried about my lovely Black Rock. Now 10 1/2yrs old she began to moult a couple of weeks ago but has become more and more listless and not showing interest in any food, even grapes or strawberries.

No longer does she run to greet me and follow me along the run.

I can see nothing physically amiss, currently, she is sitting in the nesting box.

I fear that she is just fading away.

[Beantree]

You need to be aware of imitations Keith. Blackrock is of protected origin and comes from one hatching source (in Scotland?), although many breeders take chicks rear them up to 'point of lay'. There have been instances where someone has simply crossed a Rhode Island Red with a Plymouth Rock and claimed them to be the genuine carefully selected originals, but in fact they are simply Rhode Rocks whose laying performance and longevity are unknown.

[KeithT]

When I bought her and a sister bird, lost to a fox, I was under the impression that she was a Black Maran. However, she is a deep irridescent green. She is much bigger than any of my Rhode Island hybrids and laid smaller pale eggs far less prolifically than the hybrids.

[Luvachicken]

She sounds very pretty and what a fab age to have reached so far.

I hope she perks up soon.