what do you do when your chickens stop laying eggs?

[aoxa]

Quote:
X2

x3!

Of course this depends on how you are running your flock.. If you use them exclusively for eggs to sell, than this wouldn't be manageable. For me, they work for their keep. If not with eggs, than with entertainment value. Chickens can still go broody and hatch out new chicks even when they don't lay like they used to.

 

[MaureenL128]

I haven't come to this bridge yet with my girls. But they will become just pets and continue to be as spoiled as they are now. I love my girls and couldn't imagine eating them. But that's just me.

 

[donrae]

OP--I'd be very suprised if your birds are done, they're just taking a break. I've had hatchery birds lay even at seven years old. Granted, they weren't laying much, but there were still eggs.

 

[BusyBlonde]

We process ours when they're no longer earning their keep.

As much fun as they are to watch, they're not 'pets' like our dog, or cats. Even our dog and cats earn their keep, LOL.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Mine stay around until they die. I absolutely do not process any of my girls. That's rule #1. However, I do process the roosters. Too many roosters are a terror in the chicken yard.

 

[southerndesert]

Quote:
X-2 processed or sold at around 3 years and the cycle repeats..... We keep 2 flocks of 20 + or_ birds.

 

[master clucker]

keeping them is not an option if you sell your eggs like i do

 

[nikkiv06]

My hens are only 9 months old, but when the time comes where their production starts slacking off my plan is to keep taking care of them as if they were still laying and keep them until they pass away. And I will get some new younger hens to feed our family eggs (But still keep the "old" ones too). I could never eat them, they are already my pets.

this is how I feel too...hubby keeps cracking jokes about how we're going to eat them in a couple years and I cringe!

 

[wildpeas]

We keep a very small flock for our private use so it won't be a hardship to keep them on when they are done laying. When that time comes we will build another coop and yard for the new flock and let the old girls earn their keep by managing the compost and stuff like that. If we ran a large operation where we were selling eggs then we would have no choice but to process them or sell them. You do what you have to.

 

[Dodo8]

Sorry my topic has nothing to do with this page. I couldn't figure out how to write comments on the page i wanted so i have to write here. Anyway I'm incubating chicken & duck eggs and the incubator i have fits seven eggs barely. They say to let the chicks dry of in there but there is no room whatsoever for them to do that! What should I do?