Can you tell when your Hens have stopped laying?

[blue lotus]

We are having a bit of a conundrum around the olde farm. We are planning on processing some of our older girls that are no longer laying. Problem is, a few we are just not sure if they are still laying or not.

I have heard that you can check the spacing of the pelvic bones to see if they are currently laying. I know this can be done to see if a chicken has *started* laying or not, but I have not heard about it being used to find out if one has *stopped* laying.

Without separating them one-by-one (which isn't practical in my situation), is there a way to determine who has stopped laying?

Thanks!

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

How many hens do you have? How many do you suspect are not laying?

 

[blue lotus]

Thirty-five; seven are the older girls (in the 3-5 year old range).

 

[theoldchick]

Only one hen in this picture is laying. The size and color of comb and wattles are a good indicator of who is laying. In this picture only the hen in the center is laying. The other two were finishing molting and thus not laying.




You can tell by the nice pink color and full comb and wattles that this lovely little lady is laying.


This gal is not laying. Note how small and pale her comb and wattles are.



Also, age is a good indicator of egg production. A healthy year old hen is going to lay better than a healthy 4 year old hen.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

That's not to bad. I would put those in a seperate pen if you can. If you don't get any eggs in a week or so they can probably go. You might be able to find a home for them somewhere. I'm sure some people with petting zoos wouldn't mind some well tempered hens. The meat won't be very good if you slaughter them.

After those are gone, if you still feel you aren't getting enough eggs I would put suspects in a pen and see if you are getting any eggs from those. Make sure they are in there long enough to determine for sure if they are laying.

 

[blue lotus]

Unfortunately, it isn't practical for me to put them into a separate pen, that is why I was looking for a different method.

I am not planning to re-home them, as they can feed our family just fine. I have plenty of ways to cook up elder chickens, but thanks for the suggestion.

I know many people on the forum have chickens as pets, so would rather find a different home. Since we are working on growing our sustainable farm, it makes more sense to us to process the girls that have stopped laying.

We know they have had a good life with us, and I want to make sure that the end of their lives are honored as well.

Thanks for the suggestion about comb/wattle color and size, I hadn't thought of that. I'll check the girls when they come in for their evening snack. I know they aren't molting yet (they seem to molt in late fall/early winter around here), but that may give me a better idea.

 

[blue lotus]

Hmmm...

Looks like there is no discernible difference in the color of comb/wattle for my girls. Maybe it is a breed thing?

Any other ideas?

 

[rocksteady]

Thanks for pics The old chick

I learned suppin today!!

 

[rocksteady]

now here is a question if i have hens that look like they are not laying due to wattle and comb color ....
does that mean they wont lay?
or are just not laying at the moment?

 

[theoldchick]

Pale combs and small wattles can also indicate poor health which would affect egg laying.


^
This hen is obviously ill. She was suffering from heavy metal poisoning. Removal of the metal (screw) and other therapy saved her life. She has earned the title, 'Worlds Most Expensive Chicken'.



However, note the color of Big Sister's comb and wattle. Due to her genetics she has very small comb and wattle. Since I know my flock so well (and seen her in the nest box on a regular basis) I know she's laying. Her nice color indicates she is healthy.


If you observe your flock and know your the general look of your hens you'll be able to tell who's doing what. It could be your entire flock is laying, but the older hens are not laying as many eggs as the younger gals. So, you now have to make the decision on who to cull. In this case, I'd cull the older hens. While they may still be laying, they won't be laying as much as the younger hens.