Are they done laying yet?

[GoldenGoose]

How do you tell if a chicken is done laying and ready for the pot....... Our various hatches are all mixed up and we have no way of deciding which ones are three years old and which ones are one year old.

 

[silkiechicken]

They aren't really ever "done" laying if they are still young and healthy, they just slow down. If all are of laying age and have been laying, look for small combs, bright colored legs, and dry vents with non pliable hip bones. Those are all signs of not laying well.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Trap nesting is one way, if your layers are reliable at using the nests. The other way I have done it is to just show up at all times of the day on days off and leg band the gals in the nests. After a while you always have banded birds in the nest, cull the others. Your egg count will help you know when your getting to the right numbers.

The combs and vent condition are helpful after you have learned to use that. For me I had to figure out who was laying first to know, it's not that obvious, and many breeders tell me it's also not that reliable an indicator for that reason.