At what point do you decide to cull non-laying hens?
I have a few that I haven't seen an egg out of in a few months now. They will be 2 years old in May. I plan on giving them until mid-summer (since our weather has been godawful recently) to pick back up.
But they are noticeable eggs-my easter eggers and my leghorn. three blue and one white-the only ones I get that are those colors. So Im not mistaken when I notice THOSE birds aren't laying.
Out of my flock of 43, I only have about 4 that have been granted permanent residence here, the rest will eventually go to the freezer. I just don't want to make a decision, only to find a bunch of eggs waiting to be laid when I start cleaning the hens.
So at what point to you decide to get rid of non layers? Any tips on figuring out who isn't laying if they are all laying the same color (onr of my barred rocks had an injury, was culled, only to discover she was done laying)
I have a few that I haven't seen an egg out of in a few months now. They will be 2 years old in May. I plan on giving them until mid-summer (since our weather has been godawful recently) to pick back up.
But they are noticeable eggs-my easter eggers and my leghorn. three blue and one white-the only ones I get that are those colors. So Im not mistaken when I notice THOSE birds aren't laying.
Out of my flock of 43, I only have about 4 that have been granted permanent residence here, the rest will eventually go to the freezer. I just don't want to make a decision, only to find a bunch of eggs waiting to be laid when I start cleaning the hens.
So at what point to you decide to get rid of non layers? Any tips on figuring out who isn't laying if they are all laying the same color (onr of my barred rocks had an injury, was culled, only to discover she was done laying)