"Hentirement"

Loved the truth and honesty in this article...I don't have chickens yet but I am looking forward to having them soon. Articles like this warm my heart and draw me in more.

Loved this subject. Very enjoyable and good to know information.

I've only been raising chickens for 4 years and it was originally for the purpose of eggs and meat. I figured I'd get a couple of years of eggs from them and slaughter them afterwards for their meat and replenish the flock with new chicks in a continuing cycle. That's not how it's worked out though. My girls are no longer considered potential meat birds and are instead every bit as much pets of the family and I'll also keep the ladies well into their twilight years, hopefully rewarding them as much as they have me over time.

Love, love, love this. Beautiful perspective.

Perhaps not everyone will agree but this is my philosophy too. My girls live out their lives even when they’re no longer laying eggs. My hens are my companions, my entertainment, and to be honest my therapy too. They keep me busy, active, and involved. One thing worth mentioning is that once the ladies slow down on egg production they don’t eat as much, so in my view it isn’t a huge investment to have the older girls in the flock. That said, I have gone to an all flock grower feed. My flock is mixed with pullets, active layers, and some older girls and moulters who don’t need the added calcium in the feed. I just give them oyster shells and their own toasted eggshells so the ones who need calcium have access to it. Love our golden girls!

wonderful article! my americauna, Clarice, is 9 years old. she laid prolifically for the first 6 years and slowed down a bit for the next two. she was laying 1 or 2 a week for the first half of this year, but i think she's done. she's a joy to be around and still loving life in the run.
we will continue to spoil her to her last day.

Such a great article, as a new person into chickens this was a very helpful perspective and has influenced me to think beyond the traditional chicken stew fate of many retired hens. Thank you!

Thank you for this wonderful article on the joys of keeping these beautiful golden girls in their twilight years.

Beautifully stated! We didn’t raise our chickens from chicks. We have a local hatchery that sells the breeder hens at the end of chick season. We get ours when they are approximately 10-12 months old and already laying. Kind of like rescue chickens. They are the most loving, sweet, personable chickens ever. You would think they were hand raised. I digress… Of the 5 girls we now have, 3 are in henopause. They will live out their lives being spoiled rotten lap chickens that play cabbage tetherball, are hand feed grapes, spoon fed cottage cheese, and all the zucchini they could ever want. Side note - when we plan and plant our garden, we plant a zucchini, a squash, and a watermelon just for the chickens. We grate and freeze the zucchini and squash for the girls to enjoy all year. The older girls teach the new additions whats what!l Natural bug control and compost for the garden is a bonus perk! Chickens give so much back in love, snuggles, and they enrich our lives beyond measure. I love my babies!

This is eloquently written and indeed sparked sentiment in me. I had a few tears thinking about my sweet ducks (3 pets) who will be with me until they die. I have witnessed if what you speak first hand as my Leia shows my 2 new babies around they yard and how to be safe. Thank you for this article.

Excellent Article! I only have Two Back Yard Divas and I love them. They are over 3 years and definitely slowing down in the egg laying but a while ago their egg laying went from the reason I have them to just a bonus. I appreciate your story because I wasn't sure if bringing new chick's home would work with my spoiled Ladies (Peggy and Muggsy). Based on your writing I've decided to get two more next spring. I'll start making the coop modifications soon. Thanks, and love your pics.

this was a well written post! i’m glad you’re sharing awareness that chickens can be productive way beyond 2 years of age! i have my own little flock and i plan on hentirement as well!!

Thank you so much ~ loved this article!
You have a lovely and lucky flocks of hens!

Well written. Thanks!

I absolutely LOVED your article. I wondered what to do with my chicks when they became ilder and killing them was mot an option. Thank you!

I loved reading this article!

Thankyou for the great article! Would love to know how you got them to age 10 and so many? Over the last year we lost three. they were only 3yrs. Your chickens longevity is a testament, I think, to the care you must give them.!

I'm glad I'm not the only one with an "old lady" flock. I still have the first chicken I got, a cuckoo marans hen who gave me lots of eggs and raised lots of chicks. She is 7 this year and not laying. She is the flock leader and keeps everyone in line. I have some 6 year olds too that will have a home forever.

I have been wondering about this exact topic.

I have been raising chickens for about 12 years starting in Ontario, but moving from job to job (and country to country) forced me to give my girls to other backyard hen enthusiasts. Right now, I have nine 3-and-a-half-year-olds out of my initial day-old purchase of 15. They are laying just about as frequently as ever. Included is a buff Orpington, a black Australorp, a Delaware, a New Hampshire Red, three Easter Eggers and two Golden Buffs (which I hadn't heard of previously; Meyer Hatchery touts them as their best layers).

So, I was wondering about my middle-aged girls, their laying future, their lifespan, and so forth. This article was just what I needed to read.

I am glad to say that I don't need to wait to have a lap chicken. Two of my girls insist on being picked up every morning, the rest range from moderately friendly to very shy. Thanks again for this story.