Do you have many predators where you are? I think older hens who have always been protected may become prey the first day of free ranging. I would give them a humane death and eat them myself before I put them out for the raccoons, eagles and coyotes in my area.I'll keep that in mind next year. Dear Wife and I don't need 9 eggs per day, so it won't hurt much to be down in the count next year. I am planning on "retiring" my girls after 2 or 3 years, but I have not quite decided how to do that yet. Dear Wife is already looking at the more plump girls and planning ahead. I am leaning on letting them "free range" their last years, and maybe build a separate setup for them apart from my "production" hens. Currently I have all my first year hens under a protected run and Fort Knox coop. But I suppose a less secure, and more free range, setup could be built for retirement of the older hens.