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4 year old chickens?

Discussion in 'Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying' started by tonyfunhouse, Dec 13, 2014.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Dec 13, 2014 #1
    tonyfunhouse

    tonyfunhouse In the Brooder

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    Oct 30, 2012
    Batavia Ohio
    We have had our chickens for 4 years and me and my dad wanted to know what are the symptoms for when the chickens are going to stop lay eggs. (the adults)
     
  2. Dec 13, 2014 #2
    TaraBellaBirds

    TaraBellaBirds Songster

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    SW Kansas
    They will slow production in the last couple of years, then they just stop. An older hen will not lay any more eggs once her supply to gone.
     
  3. Dec 13, 2014 #3
    RonP

    RonP Crowing

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    New Jersey, "The Garden State"
    To quote Dr. Mike Petrik, DVM, MSc, The Chicken Vet

    As for her "lifetime" supply of eggs, she is born with the number of possible ova (yolks) already set. These number in the hundreds of thousands, and would take decades of daily egg production to deplete. A hen will stop laying because of old age (and therefore produce less eggs in her life) long before she would ever run out of ova to produce eggs.
     
  4. Dec 15, 2014 #4
    mossyroo

    mossyroo Chirping

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    Saw another post somewhere on here today that talked about chickens laying at 5 & 9 yrs old. This may not be the norm but not unheard of.
     

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