"Hentirement"

What a lovely, well written article! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it

Just a little sidebar - I've found that by not "forcing" my hens to lay through Winter with artificial lighting keeps them laying longer (for obvious reasons) and they live longer too ... My elderly ladies pick up their egg-laying with enthusiasm in Spring. It tapers off as the months roll past but I'm always surprised by how many eggs I get from the ol' girls in Spring (when I really need them! ) and early Summer.

I believe the Winter rest is necessary for their wellbeing . We all need time off.



Thank you for this lovely article, take care and warm regards from South Africa

Well written article! We have the same idea of providing our chickens a long natural life. They seem to understand that through the way they interact with us. It is a joy to be out working in the backyard with them following us around and curious as to what project we are now taking on. Glad that our chickens will be around for years to come!

Very inspiring. Thank you!

Love this post. I have many older ladies, and they are my favorites.

I found your article so inspiring, I kinda thought I might be the only one that thought that way. Don't get me wrong I do enjoy the whole egg laying aspect of my girls, but they are just so adorable and fun to me that I prefer they take the winter off on laying eggs no matter their age. I do have coworkers of my husband who enjoy their eggs immensely and pay me for those eggs. However, I let everyone know once mult kicks in and pretty much until spring comes production is down so don't depend on buying in bulk so to speak. I will not add artificial light in their coops to increase or fake daylight. I prefer how God created them to operate, I love them just the way they are. I also wanted to let you know that your article also brought tears to my eyes thinking about hentirement, so thank you for your beautiful and useful article.

Loved the photos and the sentiments. I think most can relate to the love which commands that we can't part with them or under- appreciate them. The trust and affection they place in us is gratifying. For someone to feel this way, they have to bond with their chooks, not just "keep them".

I’m not sure where the ‘2’ year egg laying comes from, perhaps a misunderstanding caused by commercial hen keepers. Our hens frequently live to 15 years & some still lay giant eggs once in a while

Excellent article! Thank you for loving and caring for your older girls. Hopefully more people will do the same.

Very well written! I even teared up....I love my old guys and gals soo much. Very good article! Thank you!!!

There is a lot of interesting and good information in the article @Kuntry Klucker wrote about older hens, but it contains several mistakes and misconceptions too. Especially in the beginning of this article. The misleading information is written as facts. I don’t know where they come from but I doubt the source(s) as I have other experiences and knowledge.

Unfortunately it seems @Kuntry Klucker is no longer BYC member.

This is a great article! My hens will be hitting the 3 year mark soon and l intend to let them live out the rest of their lives on the farm. I like the idea of introducing a few chicks in a few years or let a broody hen hatch some out! Great read

It brings a smile to my face when I go into the coop on a cool morning and find about 4 of our 7 plus year old Buff Minoricas on the roosts enjoying the sun streaming through the windows. Or as I walk by a smaller coop and get hollered at by Chubby, our big fluffy Cochin, also the same age.

We keep our hen number at about 50, bringing in or hatching chicks as needed. But the old girls are always there to help out as needed.

Good article about what to do when your hens are no longer laying. Mine are reaching that point, but will definitely still have a home with me as long as they live.

I appreciate your perspective. Culling after two years has always seemed a little "handmaiden's tale" to me . I also prefer to let them live out their own lives.

Very good article written from personal experience which is the best source. I am in the same place with my older ladies and feel the same way, they will have a nice retirement.

Love this post, my ladies are older and I really thought I would never get another egg. Now I can't wait. They are in moult right now so now I know I have some eggs to look forward to.

Excellent article, thank you!! 5 of my girls are older, and their laying has slowed down considerably just in the last year. They're still great to have around, I wouldn't think of doing anything but allowing them to happily live out their Hentirement years!

One thing to note: Winter laying naturally slows down, but for those who heat & light their coops, the hens will continue laying through winter. This prematurely ages them and expends the finite number of eggs they'll produce in their lifetime, as their bodies don't get to rest in the colder months. Plus I've found using heat lamps at night can cause egg yolk peritonitis, especially in older girls. I personally feel it's best to let nature's wisdom dictate their laying cycles, so I use natural light and keep the coop just warm enough that the chickens won't get frostbitten, using heated perches & heat pads that only kick on in freezing temps. My mature girls are thriving with this setup!

Thank you so much for this wonderful article.

I am so impressed by your article. Not only is it beautifully written but is fortifies my thoughts exactly. It is on point, at least for those of us that enjoy chickens and do not mass produce eggs/chickens for a bottom line. Your chickens are fortunate as are mine. They deserve their natural life cycles and to live out their lives as nature intended. In addition, your article documents well the natural life cycle of the chicken. But then, I would not, could not and will not eat what I have raised and nurtured AND named. Thank you for your informative, delightful article giving a totally different outlook on raising chickens.