Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Date sort Score sort
Quote:
I don't think it will matter much for only a few hens. There are plenty of people who don't have roosts in their coops on here. I've always had hen houses as opposed to coops, so roosts were just always put in place as a matter of course. The deep litter will be soft enough for sleeping, I imagine...but you will want to make sure it stays reasonably dry.
 
Quote:
OldGuy our hens have discovered the "grow-out coop" and have taken it over as a daytime hangout. It's about like your....built on a pallet and only about 3' tall. I put in roosts for the chicks to get used to and they are about 6" off the floor. The full-grown hens use them all the time. You should see 13 full-growed chickens in a 40"x48" coop...it's a laugh!
 
How about this one..........

How can you really tell how old a hen is and is spent ??

Sometimes when checking out hen's to see how old they are and if they can still lay................... I check her vent. If it is soft and pliable with a rosey hue and it has a shine when you pooch it out, then she is a young bird from 6mo-2yrs.
If the vent is dry and has a dull whitish chalky look to it, and is all wrinkley then she is old and probably spent laying.
To me the vent will give you the best indication because that is where the egg action happens, I don't use facial features as sometimes old hens can look quite good in the face, and to me the comb and wattles don't tell me much about age, but they will give away her health condition in a Nano second.
 
I've tried that one, AL...and wound up killing my favorite old hen and subsequently taking the three eggs in different stages formation out of her ovaduct and noting all the new ones in different stages of production yet to come. By looking at her vent, I could have sworn the old thing hadn't laid for some time...I felt pretty badly after seeing just how many more she had and how closely she was producing.
 
How do you tell, what is a way that has worked for you ??
I have always used it with good results but anybody can get it wrong every now and then.
 
pop.gif
caf.gif


Quote:
 
Yep...I had always used that method also until I killed that good ol' girl. Then I started looking for something a little more....positive. In big flocks like you guys run, it just wouldn't be feasible, but I only run around 30 head of layers, so it isn't so difficult for me.

Believe me...I'd rather just look at the butt then delve into it. But...I think it has saved me a few ol' gals that I didn't want to part with just yet.

See, folks? Us old farts get a little attached to our flocks just like you...we just don't make it a permanent condition!
wink.png
 
Quote:
Im with you Beekissed, sometimes the ladies get old and dried up looking but still can be productive. Can't always judge by the external. I have also had luck by dropping food coloring in a hens vent. Marks the eggs when they lay them.
 
Quote:
Somehow, I can't imagine either you or Al putting lipstick on a hen's vent to see if she's still laying. That was one nugget of "wisdom" I picked up here. BLEH!!
ETA: Picked up on BYC; not this thread.
 
Last edited:
Yep..some of us old hens may LOOK like we are old and dried up and can't cut the mustard anymore...but you could be wrong!
big_smile.png
lol.png


Most folks don't keep hens as long as I do anyway....my latest flock is 5 years old and some are 6 and still laying top notch, from my standards.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Kuntry Klucker
    • Like
    • Love
10 Joys of keeping Backyard Chickens!
Replies
5
Views
1K
ChickenCanoe
ChickenCanoe
Davaroo
Recommended Chicken Reading
Replies
5
Views
708
SewingDiva
S
spook
    • Like
In-length article re: Chicken Colds
Replies
9
Views
5K
katrinag
katrinag

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom