Well here we are, almost a month later and my Pretty Princess is still blooming, now on 4 different inflos and a couple more to come that I suspect I won't see bloom due to winter being almost upon us. The colors that burst out during the mid September heat wave are more subdued but I can see that next year I should get quite a good show from this tree now that it has had a year to settle into the ground where I planted it. Here are some pictures I took today. The first inflo:

Beth, I'm in Michigan so it will probably be different where you are, but commonly chickens need at least 10 hours of light to lay, so when the days get short and it's still dark when I go to work at 8 am and dark when I go home at 5 pm, the hens stop laying. I could put a light in their coop and get a heated waterer and keep them laying pretty much year round (except for when they molt), but the electricity would cost me more than the eggs are worth, so I just freeze eggs when I'm getting a lot. Hens also stop laying when they are molting. Hens molt annually, they start losing their feathers and grow new feathers. They look absolutely awful, BTW, when they are molting, half naked chickens. (grin) This is a good explanation from thepoultrysite.com. "After a hen has been producing eggs for several months, she becomes increasingly likely to molt. Molting and egg production are not mutually compatible, so when molting occurs, egg production ceases. The rest from egg laying allows the hen to restore its plumage condition by shedding old feathers and growing new ones. At the same time, the henÂs reproductive tract is rejuvenated, allowing it to increase its rate of egg production and produce higher quality eggs when it returns to lay. Under natural day lengths, molting tends to coincide with the change in season so that hens molt in the fall after they cease egg production due to declining day lengths. In these circumstances, it is normal for all the hens in a flock to go out of production and molt more or less in synchrony. However, if artificial lighting is provided, a hen may molt at any time of year and not in synchrony with other hens. If this happens, she should return to lay in several weeks." Old hens stop laying eggs eventually and there are some chicken diseases that will prevent laying. Also, if a hen is "broody" she will stop laying, because she wants to hatch the eggs she's sitting on. Mine lay at optimum production about 6 or 8 months out of the year, they never stop completely, but I'll go from getting 10 or 12 eggs a day to getting one or two per day, sometimes none. Annie

artemis-ma YES!!!!!! I made english muffins with avacado and an egg yolk and all was well! Must have been the egg white that was bothering him! Not worried about the cholesterol cause he was only eating 4 or 5 eggs a week anyway. Olychick, our next step is to get some duck eggs and give them a try (We have to plan this out so we don't have any all day activities for a couple of days, if you know what I mean!) Everyone else....Thanks for all of the suggestions! The smoothies and any kind of oatmeal/mush are rejected cause he went to boarding school in Scotland for 7 years and woke up to "mush" days a week! =) Nancy

@PoohBearLvr I know this is older, but I know RXACTLY what you’re referring to & it’s definitely not the same as reverting. I think you nailed it w the light thing, as odd as it sounds!?! I had heard comments about (ideal conditions), but hadn’t experienced issues w mine~they’re in custom soil, love humidity in SC apr-oct & rotate light in winter, get Liquidirt w every watering (which resulted in lots of growth all last winter), but my 3 wound up split up by happenstance. My favorite, one that is black & hot pink marbled on every leaf was repotted first this year, & back to shelf in front of bay window w am south sun. The other 2 were moved under the crepe myrtle w others for repotting or living all summer. Got busy before my daughter’s wedding so hadn’t gotten to them when a hail storm happened, so a handful of plants most harmed by damage were rushed into the garage, where the door often stays open & the first 2 feet start to get east sun around noon until sunset. One went further back while the other was among the first line safe from direct sun. Both had a couple of green leaves but most had very nice markings. One kept most of its pink while the other lost all, including a half moon. The new leaves weren’t even the darker burgundy but a more coppery color side note… @Russ1023, I think I’ve read many of your posts on another site~do you have a lot of Aglaonema? Have meant to message you for over a year, but I’m awful w email & avoid to extremes. I think you probably have a LOT more experience & knowledge than me, but I respectfully disagree w the idea that Royal Queen & reverted PPP (often Burgundy Princess) are the same. I am obsessed w dark leaved philos/plants, in particular garnet/burgundy colors, so having spent the last couple of years attempting to track down as many as possible, & RQ near top of my fav list, they’re definitely different plants. I’m confused about RQ’s origins for sure, supposedly listed as Fl but no idea who? You said it’s been around for a long time, but I’ve seen it referred to as “a new hybrid” repeatedly the last maybe 2 years now, & can’t find it now but saw many times in my searches a site that gave a teensy bit of info & called it also “New Red?” Or new red Queen~don’t remember exactly but did search it a little & found numerous overseas places selling as either/or names. Though admittedly, every time I think I’ve figured out & can identify the different dark leaved varieties, something makes me question it or I’ve discovered one not circulating readily these days. So, idk~your position is certainly logical yet I easily see 2 different plants (RQ got much larger leaves much quicker for example) I thought the heat possibly affected my changing ppp as it happened as we hit mid-high 90s daily, & her living in S Fl affirmed…until yours. Central Fl would be the same, so must be the light?!? It’s inside now, so we’ll see~the stem is streaked in hot pink so the genetics are undeniable! Forget now how much light yours was getting, but can’t help but think the daily proximity to direct sun, 80%, mine was experiencing like 80% of daylight hours didn’t bump the temp that much more, & maybe more importantly, all the humidity under that tree was cooked a bit right there, & probably needed water a little more considering. I think obviously genetics are key, but having rescued “reverted ppp” previously to produce consistent color, I’m convinced amount of light (less than many), humidity, temp of course, & nutrients make a difference. You won’t get pink back on the leaves that turned, but the new growth should be back to normal if it’s happy. Haven’t had one get that large yet but have heard they tend to produce less color w size, & cutting back to color is recommended, but I’ve seen pics of mighty specimens still putting out pink~maybe not as often but enough to not chop if size is an interest too. With that said, as I suspected~when travel, ie shipping opened again, so many wanted to import themselves to enjoy lower prices that prices on many things have continued dropping since July~so affordable, or more affordable w decent color, ppp are everywhere! And I’d imagine everyone asking here got theirs by now, but if not…& i didn’t charge more than $75 thru the entirety of last year’s insane pricing! And take pics as I cut to prop so there’s no question what plant it’s actually from.