wow thank you you are like a book of poultry knowledgethank you for the info it has been greatly apprieciated you have made my decision alot easier. One question though is are goldlines good at laying for a number of years as my nan has five goldlines and they are two years old and she still get 4-5 every day even in the winter i just wanted to make sure it wasnt just hers?
The peak lay rate for sex links runs for about 2 years, then they begin loosing steam because they've put so much energy into their phenomenal egg production; although I've had a few Black Sex Links (Black Stars) over the years still laying pretty well (3-4 eggs per week) even at 3-4 years (BSLs generally seem to lay well for a little longer than the RSLs). I don't normally keep hens very long past their peak lay rate, except for the occasional one that I get really attached to, but if you want a long laying life, based on my experience, the Austalorps and Orpingtons are the champs. I've had a few Aussies and Orp hens that became family lap pets, that were still spitting out a few eggs at 7-8 years.
