after they are done laying

[Chicken Boy 09]

once my chickens quit laying eggs are they still good for stewing hens or would letting them live there lifes the rest of the way be better?
thanks for the responses

 

[BrokenRoadFarm]

It's a personal choice. We just started with our 4 ladies this past spring, so we have a long way to go. But our intent is that once they stop laying, they will go into the stew pot. They are livestock for us - not pets. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[GAchick]

That's a good question... How old is too old to stew? Past 4 years? Longer? Never?

 

[galanie]

Never. Also, most of the time they don't stop laying until they're darned old. But they do slow down laying at around 2 years enough that it makes it not real economical to keep feeding them.

 

[Oregon Blues]

They are never too old to cook. They live a very long time, and feed keeps getting more and more expensive.

I can see keeping a special pet. Sometimes a bird just gets under your skin and you get some valuable emotional feedback from a pet. But a whole flock of chickens eating expensive food and not producing any eggs would be a project for someone with some serious spare change that they don't have any other use for.

 

[SewingDiva]

Yesterday we processed some three year olds and made stew - very tasty!