Any Way To Tell The True Age Of A Chicken?

[peach2727]

We Have Been Accumulating Hens From Various Farms In My Area. Everyone Says " Oh, They Are 5 Months Old And Almost Ready To Start Laying".

How Can You Tell The Difference Between A One Year Old And A Four Year Old?

 

[chickletranch]

Sometimes you can't tell by sight. The best indicator might be how often they lay. A 1-year-old hen should be laying close to every day in spring/summer, while a 4-year-old will probably only lay occasionally or not at all.

Lynn

 

[peach2727]

Problem is we have 300 now and I have no idea which ones are laying.

I could be buying 5 year old ones from farmers as they lie and tell me they are 6 months old.

The reason I am questioning all of this is the fact I am only producing about 75 eggs a day ( 25% ) and I have read it should be around 60%.

 

[SurprisingWoman]

This might help you...

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/DI1182.html

 

[Dixiedoodle]

They could be five months old, some of my girls were almost 10months old before they started to lay! Even my Barred Rocks, RIR and Buff Orpingtons were at least 8month old... I am no chicken expert--but some MIGHT be too young to lay...

 

[teach1rusl]

As to your comment, you are correct. Somebody could very well tell you their hens are a year old (or less), but really be several years old. Many people won't buy hens who are a few years old, so someone could easily lie about their age. That's not to say it's happened to you, but I've heard of it happening. I guess that's why many people just hatch their own, so they always know ages.

 

[chookchick]

PLEASE be careful if you are throwing grown chickens from different places together! That is a recipe for diseases, worms, lice, etc... if you do not quarantine and check over each chicken VERY carefully. IMHO I would not purchase adult chickens, for the very reason that you have NO idea really how old they are, and because of the (likely!) potential for a disease that could wipe out the entire flock. A problem such as worms could be causing you laying issues, but this is a slow time of year for laying.

 

[peach2727]

Thanks for the info. We are retired here in Ecuador so weather is beautiful all of the time. No cold weather.

We do segregate the new ones for a week and give them vaccinations , check for fleas, lice, etc.

Is a week long enough?

We are amateurs here and are learning as we go with much help from this site. We originally lived in Massachusetts.

Thank you very much

 

[Ibicella]

New chickens should be seperated for at least a full month. They should not be kept anywhere near the existing flock so they don't even share the same airspace. And when you go to care for them, care for the existing flock first, then the new additions so you aren't tracking contaminants between coops. Sick birds and new birds should always be cared for and handled last.

Though if you've been mixing your flock so fast all this time, I would suggest changing your clothes, shoes, and scrubbing up entirely between coops since you won't know who has what now.