retiring non-laying hens

[junebuggena]

Where do you 'move them on' to ? Eat them? That is logical but I haven't gotten there. I do not think my girls lay all over. Until recently we kept them in until noon. We kept tabs on them and they returned to the coop all day long to lay and then free range again. Some lay early some late. I know it's molting season. But some of my girls are 3, some 4 years old. My original flock from 5 years ago is no longer around.

Unless you keep them confined to a run all day, everyday, there is always a good chance of hidden nests.

 

[aart]

I got soft, and lazy, last fall and kept my older layers.
It pushed my coop capacity beyond what I suspected was reasonable.
Suspicions confirmed, it was a mistake, Cabin Fever Crowding was not fun to watch.
Will not make the same mistake this year, have 8 on the list for slaughter soon.
Gonna be a lot of bone broth and stew in the freezer this winter.

 

[kayceb]

I got soft, and lazy, last fall and kept my older layers.
It pushed my coop capacity beyond what I suspected was reasonable.
Suspicions confirmed, it was a mistake, Cabin Fever Crowding was not fun to watch.
Will not make the same mistake this year, have 8 on the list for slaughter soon.
Gonna be a lot of bone broth and stew in the freezer this winter.

Save a bowl of soup for me

 

[song of joy]

I don't have the heart to butcher my laying hens either, but I agree with aart that it's important to keep the flock size compatible with the housing space to maintain harmony, especially in winter.

So . . . I've adopted the "middle man" solution. I take my old laying hens to someone who processes poultry. I give them a crate of 4 or 5 of my older hens and 15 minutes later, they put the cleaned carcasses in my cooler to take home. Psychologically, this is not much different that buying chicken at the store, although the carcass looks a bit thinner in the breast. On the positive side, I didn't have to "do the deed", the meat is healthier, and I've honored the hens by giving them a quick, humane exit from the world and by using the meat to feed my family.

One spent laying hen gives us a wonderful 4 to 5 quarts of homemade chicken broth, and the meat is added to the broth along with vegetables to make at least 6 quarts of canned soup that is superior to store-bought soup.

 

[aart]

I take my old laying hens to someone who processes poultry. I give them a crate of 4 or 5 of my older hens and 15 minutes later, they put the cleaned carcasses in my cooler to take home.

I wish I had this available, mostly because of the setup and cleanup of all the equipment, what do they charge you per bird?
One 'good' thing about slaughtering your own birds is you get a good look at the inner health of your flock by examining the organs for disease/parasites.

 

[song of joy]

I wish I had this available, mostly because of the setup and cleanup of all the equipment, what do they charge you per bird?
One 'good' thing about slaughtering your own birds is you get a good look at the inner health of your flock by examining the organs for disease/parasites.

It's about a 45-minute drive (one way), but for me it's worth it as they have a very clean, professional set-up. They charge $2.50 per chicken. My husband will process a hen now and then, but when I have several to process it's just not worth his time.

I'm not sure what I'd be looking for with respect to disease, but that's a good point for those who would. I do remember having my husband cull a hen I suspected was an internal layer. It was really interesting to see how massive amounts of egg material had accumulated internally, and it confirmed my diagnosis.

 

[WVduckchick]

It's about a 45-minute drive (one way), but for me it's worth it as they have a very clean, professional set-up. They charge $2.50 per chicken. My husband will process a hen now and then, but when I have several to process it's just not worth his time.

I'm not sure what I'd be looking for with respect to disease, but that's a good point for those who would. I do remember having my husband cull a hen I suspected was an internal layer. It was really interesting to see how massive amounts of egg material had accumulated internally, and it confirmed my diagnosis.

Which direction is that 45-minute drive? If you are central PA, and it happens to be west, it might be something I could explore. I'm in north western WV.

I normally sell hens while they are still laying, but I have lots of cockerels and cocks that need processed. I'm tired of giving them away for free on CL, just to get rid of them! I realize processing them myself is an option, but I mostly breed and raise bantams, so I suspect it really isn't worth the time and effort.

Oh, and supporting a local business is another benefit!

 

[kayceb]

Which direction is that 45-minute drive? If you are central PA, and it happens to be west, it might be something I could explore. I'm in north western WV.

I normally sell hens while they are still laying, but I have lots of cockerels and cocks that need processed. I'm tired of giving them away for free on CL, just to get rid of them! I realize processing them myself is an option, but I mostly breed and raise bantams, so I suspect it really isn't worth the time and effort.

Oh, and supporting a local business is another benefit!

Im not sure how much hunting is done in WV but tracking down a place that does game processing might be able to help. Im in Louisiana and there are several local restaurants and even a few small grocery stores will do it as well. When in doubt google game processing in your area.

 

[SiriusChicken]

Where do you 'move them on' to ? Eat them? That is logical but I haven't gotten there. I do not think my girls lay all over. Until recently we kept them in until noon. We kept tabs on them and they returned to the coop all day long to lay and then free range again. Some lay early some late. I know it's molting season. But some of my girls are 3, some 4 years old. My original flock from 5 years ago is no longer around.

I totally understand your not wanting to eat your chickens. My chickens I raised myself are pets. They snuggle, ride around on my shoulder and follow me everywhere. Research shows chickens have reasoning skills of around a seven year old human child. So don't feel bad for caring for them and respecting their lives.

I read a great article here about reasons to keep old hens in the flock. They raise chicks and teach them and other flock members to be predator savvy, what foods are safe, etc, which helps them survive which means more eggs in the future.

About a month ago I thought my hens stopped laying since they had always laid inside but it turned out that when the first one decided she wanted to set and laid outside, the others copied her. I had to do an egg-hunt-stake-out to figure that out and only found half the missing eggs under blackberry bushes. I managed to retrain them by letting them out late for the next three days, giving them fake eggs in the nest boxes and started giving them treats for laying inside. They haven't laid outside since, but they run to me as soon as they lay now and ask for treats.