Am i wasting my time????please help

[MRBIG]

Yes just another Q. My Hens are malting and none of them are laying should i get rid of them, how long do you all keep your hens for ? how many chances should i give them.... after all they are only hens that have been sold on, or given away. I have three young pullets that i hope will start laying soon, it is getting cold here in the south of New Zealand and i just dont know what to do and any ideas about how to stop a broody hen who sits on nothing???? i am new at this and dont have time to sit around reading about it in books.. would rather have your opinion!!!!!!!!!!! Ps dont get me wrong i love my hens they have there own wee traits i dont want to get rid of them but am i wasting my time?????

 

[pegbo]

I agree with Cyn, just give them time, my big girls went through their molt back in Sept. and they are just starting to lay again. As for the Broody hen get her some fertile eggs to sit on, it will make her happy and you'll get something out of it as well!!!!

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Couldn't have said it better, Cyn.

 

[chickbea]

I keep my hens until they die of old age, or I need to put them down due to illness. As speckledhen says, there are many benefits of chicken ownership besides eggs - they eat bugs, make lots of poop for my compost pile, entertain me and the neighbors, beautify my yard with their presence, and if you confine them to a small area, within a week you have a lovely tilled garden plot, ready to go!
It sounds like you acquired your hens when they were older - do you know how old they are? Production will slow as they age, but I've known many hens that lay into their teens, as long as they have excellent care. Do you know what breed they are?
Reading a how-to book about chickens may SOUND tedious, but chicken people tend to have a unique sense of humour, and I have enjoyed nearly every chicken book I have read.

 

[MarkR]

No time spent around chickens is a waste of time. Sometimes chicken time is different from our time. You need to adjust. Molting happens. And then it stops. Some days are better laying days than others. Go with it. Enjoy. Relax. Smile.

Mark

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Agrees with all the above posts to your question ...whole heartedly..They are here til they pass away......they can't help it when they molt or go broody....just part of chickenville....

Tuff

 

[blue90292]

i had one go broody out of my 20 hens. i kept moving her to a locked pen at night along with the other 19 who kept trying to lay in her nest box. she finally started laying again about 2 weeks later after 2 weeks of moving her every night.

it's about a month and a half later and now she's broody again. i let her go broody this time and she's sitting on 2 eggs and MAN is she mean. but i think its kinda neat watching her be a momma.

to answer your questions, i don't think you're wasting your time. i think they lay better eggs after they molt so who knows.

and the easiest way to find your answers if you don't want to read a book, is to do a search feature on this site. most questions asked on this site have been answered before so if you do a search, you'll quickly find your answer and not have to even wait for someone to reply to your question!

sorry to hear you're going into winter. i hear new zealand gets pretty cold.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Unless you're a factory farm, you'll just have to wait out the moult...
Just because egg production has gone to zip, isn't a reason to get rid of the birds...it's a natural thing, like shedding season...
I've heard that if you put a potential broody in wire cage with nothing in it, she should stop being broody. I've never tried it so I can't say for sure if that really works or not.
I agree with Cyn and MarkR.

 

[CarriBrown]

I think animals are like kids. You take care of them no matter what... Even if they are driving you nuts or not laying eggs. By buying (or giving birth) to them, you promised to be their provider.
If you're not willing to stick it out through good times and bad, maybe you are "wasting" your time.

 

[MRBIG]

Oh sorry that i have wasted your time i shall read more books that way i want upset anyone!!! And by the way i love my girls it was only because people told me to get rid of them, if they are not laying.. your wasting your time,I am given them second chance at life, as they might have all been dead had i not. How many of you people go and look at your hens at 5.30 in the morning because you cant sleep. Sorry if I sound rude but I thought you of you people would know what your talking about that is why i did ask.
I don't always lisiten to what people say maybe i should read books.