Completely stopped production

[ChickenCanoe]

You are very correct in your statement that the breed is key in longevity of production. However healthy hens have been known to lay for 10 years. They just don't lay very often.
3 to 4 year old hens should be expected to take a few months off in winter. As long as you are comfortable with that, you don't need to cull. Now that we're past winter solstice, production may resume in the next month or 3.
I've never had to cull a hen for non-production. I've either sold them or lost to predation first. I just lost a 6 year old Ameraucana hen that was still laying to a mink.
Either of those feeds would be fine. No need to buy 2. The nutrition is very similar in each and both appropriate for non-laying hens. I assume your birds molted about the time that production stopped.
I prefer pellets because there is much less waste than with mash or crumbles and the nutrition is better because there are too many fines in the latter 2.
Feed production is basically grain and legumes are ground, then mixed with all the other ingredients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fats, etc.) Most of those things are added as powders or liquid. Those powders separate out of all feeds and that's where the goodies are. With pellets and crumbles, a binding agent is added and the feed goes through a pelletizer and then a crumbler to get crumbles. Mash is more finely ground and IMO, most appropriate for caged hens.

 

[junebuggena]

Doesn't really matter if you choose grower or all flock. What you need is something with a protein content of at least 18%, and a calcium level that is under 2%. Anything within those parameters will be fine.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi again.

The general consensus of opinion is probably to get a flock raiser or grower feed but not both and you can continue to feed that year round if you wish as long as you provide a dish of crushed oyster shell for them to access when they need it.
Chicken feed is usually available as a "mash" which is quite fine with bits of grains/peas/lentils in it, or as "pellets" which are small (about 1/4inch long by 1/16th wide) and probably finer than rabbit pellets and look more pale grey/ brown than green. It is essentially the same feed whether it is in "mash" or "pellet" form but processed slightly differently. I find there is less waste using the pelleted feed as any that is spilled out of the feeder can be easily picked up by the birds and eaten whereas the finer particles in the mash often get trampled into the ground. They will sometimes "bill" the mash out of the feeder to find their favourite components in it whereas the pellets are more homogenous, so one pellet is the same as the next and there is no digging around looking for the best bits and leaving the stuff they are less keen on. I hope that makes sense.

Hens are generally past their most efficient, productive egg laying life after 2 years but many will continue to lay up to 6-7 years old and occasionally beyond, it's just that they take longer off each winter, lay less eggs per week through the spring and summer and are probably more prone to illness and reproductive complications as they get older, making them less financially viable, if you are solely interested in them for egg production. Many of us also value them as pets and insect control for the garden though and keep them until they die. The advantage of older hens is that the eggs they do produce generally get slightly bigger each year, so if you like large eggs, older girls may be an advantage. As I said previously, commercial egg producers usually cull a whole hen house full of birds at 18 months and restock with point of lay pullets as it is not financially viable to keep hens that are going into moult and not laying for a couple of months. You can usually buy these birds from the egg factories for a very small fee and rehabilitate them and they will lay for many years to come, but their most productive period is over.

If you are going to cull them and eat them and replace them with pullets, 2-3 years is usually the point you would do it, so, whilst your girls could potentially live 5 more years, the feed they consume compared to the eggs they will lay and the space they take up that other young productive pullets could occupy, means that unless you have an emotional investment, they should probably be culled and replaced already.
My girls generally get a retirement package although I do expect the occasional contribution to the rent. Older girls are sometimes more likely to go broody too, particularly your cochin, so she may have a second career raising your next generation of chickens perhaps.

Good to hear that you are enjoying having them.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Marrrum]

Friends,

Thanks for replying!

Especially for Chicken Canoe. This is great info. I am glad to purchase the pellets vs the other for the time being. I am wondering if they carry pellet form of flock feeder. If not, ill buy it in whatever form it comes. Then in the summer i'll feed the Layer Mesh for the laying season. It is quite important to me that not only are my birds productive, but happy, comfortable and well nourished. I just read my older post and I realized I made it seem like I would cull due to productivity. I would not do so unless it was absolutely necessary. Aside from production, they keep me company and provide therapeutic help for me. Its relaxing to see them and play with them. I am learning much and taking extensive notes on my end. I will post more threads if needed, but for now I feel I have the exact info I was looking for. Or at least the info to look up what I need. Thank you all.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Flock raiser usually comes in both pellets and crumbles. Grower is usually crumbles.

 

[Marrrum]

Thanks again for all the replies. You will be hearing from me soon. Feel free to look me up on backyardheards as well. I raise rabbit kits and have two bucks and one doe.