Chicken life span

[EweSheep]

Quote:
I agree with this one!

 

[hensonly]

ella&clara :

I don't have chickens yet, but I am thinking about it seriously. We are thinking about starting with layers. I understand that they lay for a couple of years, and then stop. I am thinking about getting additional birds as meaties, but I also don't want an ever-increasing flock of layers that become pets. I have two dogs already

I don't know if I'll want to eat them if they have been around for two years. I know I'll have to get more when the original ones stop laying. How long do they live?

Sorry, got a chuckle from your wording..."I have two dogs already. I don't know if I'll want to eat them if they have been around for two years."

Seriously, I started with sex link hatchery birds. They did lay like crazy for a year and a half. Then this spring (they turned two) the egg production fell off a cliff. I also had several hens die in the first two years, so now I have eight hens, and I'm getting three to four eggs a day. They'll be three years old this coming spring. I plan to build a tractor so I can put them in the garden to eat, poop, and scratch. This way they can still serve a purpose besides eggs. I figure they've earned their ease - not their fault that they laid the majority of their eggs all in one big spurt. By they way, mine are far too scrawny to bother eating, even if I wanted to.

I just got a new batch of chicks, a dual purpose breed from Sand Hill Preservation Center, which I hope will be my last purchase from a hatchery of any description. I did get a flock of Rangers this past spring for meat, and they were excellent. I may get another batch and keep a few, but as you say, I don't have room for unlimited flocks. Hence the decision to go the heritage breed route. Time will tell how well it works for me.​

 

[PartridgeRooster]

I recommend "Story's" Books or anything from Carol Ekarius are great options for learning about poultry and livestock in general. I've learn alot on a wide range of livestock. My family had some chickens and now after getting my own acreage I purchased my own little flock to help control insects, eggs and of course chicken watching, which is soothing for me. They are turning two weeks soon and though I purchased all hens, I expect a few roosters.

 

[PepsNick]

You don't kill your meaties after 2 years, usually you do after 8 months. MOST hens tend to stop laying around 6 years PERMANETLY, but it can be older or later, my friend's Speckled Sussex just burned out at 8 years, and I've heard some really productive White Legorns can stop as early as 2 years. Anyway, the average for life I'd say is 5-6 years, but the oldest documented was like 18, I think. But I doubt you'll have on elive THAT long. But then you never know!

 

[bburn]

And my two cents worth of advice as a newbie this year is do not buy straight run chicks to start out!! I am one that ended up with 15 roosters!

What a job that was to figure out what to do with them. Rehoming a rooster is not easy. We processed 7 ourselves, I sold five, and gave away four. Now I have a flock of 14. Just separated one rooster from the flock and am getting hime some girls because we really like him but two alpha roos in a flock don't work.

I agree with everything that has been written. Do your homework. I did not. I am enjoying my birds now but there were several weeks that it was really hard on me.

Other than that....CHICKENS ROCK!

 

[ams3651]

I started with 8 chicks. 3 were roos and I found homes for 2 of them, a nice local farmer who needed more roos for his large flock. I still have my roo and appreciate what he does for my hens. that was 2 1/2 years ago. Last year one went broody and I had 3 survive to adolescence, one a roo who found a new home with his own ladies. This year only 2 survived the first hatch but one is a roo and he and his sister are kind of outsiders so they will go together. I also have 5 1-month olds one of which Im sure is a roo and will leave. My point is my plan was the start with just a few and add 2 or 3 a year to have constant egg output. My ladies will retire here and Im ok with that, as will my roo. The only losses I have had are as chicks and I just figured out its to rats so I solved the problem. It would have to be pretty rough financially here for me to eat one of my chickens but thats just me. What ever you decide I wish you the best of luck and much chicken enjoyment.

 

[redtree57]

I have 7 Newhamshire Red hens and rooster to match that are about 3 years old. I get 3 eggs from them daily. I wish I could tell which ones were or were not laying as I don't want to cull those that are laying. I also have 8 Buff Orpington pullets and rooster to match. I started with 20 chicks and after killing 4 snakes, had these left I haven't killed a chicken yet but I guess I can if I can kill a huge snake.

About having chickens. I grew up where they were part of the ranch. My grandmother would order 100 unsexed chicks and put all the roosters in the freezer on one day. One of the old roosters flogged her once and she made tamales in the pressure cooker. I still don't look forward to culling one of mine, though.

 

[PartridgeRooster]

Quote:
Really the hatchery I buy from rarely would give me a rooster in a batch of hens, maybe once or twice.