Cycling Replacements?

[3KillerBs]

DH wants me to have plans for my chickens on our new property, which suits me because I'm a planning kind of person.

I have a question for those who regularly cycle their backyard laying flocks: What proportion of your hens do you cull at what intervals in order to keep a reasonably steady supply of eggs without having the eggless times involved with complete replacement?

The theory is that I will have in the vicinity of 15-10 hens* to provide eggs to extended family and friends reliably and I will certainly enjoy the superior chicken and dumplings provided by spent layers in their proper time.

*Yes, I know about Chicken Math. That's why my 4 hens the first time turned into 6 hens and a rooster.

 

[SamuelMcF]

Chickens lay best in their first year and go down considerably after that. I usually cull around 3-4 years just because I am enjoy the chickens and don't mind if they start laying less (within reason) unless I have one that I just really like and it gets pet status and gets to live forever haha.

 

[Acre4Me]

A chicken begins to lay around 20 weeks old, less if production type and can be higher for heritage type.

Production type generally lay really well for 2 years (with a break for molt), then distinctly decrease. However, being production type, they tend to be lean egg machines, not much meat.

Heritagetypes lay less per week, but for more years generally. Also, when you butcher these kinds, you’ll get more fat in them if you care for Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat you can freeze and add to cooking for flavor), and probably makes good cracklin- rendered chicken skin for snacking.

the second and third laying year sees larger eggs than a pullet.

msny who cycle and cull h indicatethey try for 2 seasons of laying before culling, some go longer.

how many chickens can you handle? How will you keep them? Free-range will result in losses do you need to plan for more replacements.

you are in a warmer location, which helps - fewer winter related challenges. I have enjoyed fall chicks best bc they grow and are ready to begin to lay in late Jan thru March. Spring hatched don’t begin to lay until June or so. however, we often get spring chicks for 4-H reasons.

good luck.

 

[3KillerBs]

how many chickens can you handle? How will you keep them? Free-range will result in losses do you need to plan for more replacements.

My aim is 15-20, probably with a rooster.

We'll be building a new coop of a suitable size with a predator-hardened, covered run (my hope is to find a used metal carport to convert). The intent is to keep food and water in the run and never close the pop door unless there is an emergency.

We're also going to put electric fence around 3 grassy areas opening off the run and rotate the use of the different areas during the day when people are home (which will then cycle through being garden areas as the chickens prep them).

I do expect some losses. We know for sure that we've got hawks because we can hear them any time we're outside even though we rarely actually see them. I put up this thread hoping for an evaluation of my anti-hawk plans.

 

[Mrs. K]

I like a multi-generational flock. To have eggs most of the year round, having pullets about as early as you can get them so they start laying before the short days. If so, they will lay throughout the winter. if they don't lay before winter, they will start about end of January for me.

I freeze eggs with they are plentiful in the summer. To use for baking which makes my fresh eggs go farther and use for cooking. I freeze big gallon bags of scrambled eggs to cook up on week-ends that my family is home. I put a dozen individual eggs in muffin pans, scrambled to freeze, and then can pull two eggs for baking.

I generally get a few eggs through the winter, some years your birds seem to molt harder, last winter was slim pickings.

As to your original question I try and do 1/3 2+, 1/3 1+, and 1/3 coming into lay in August. I tend to cheat on my numbers in the summer, but come the fall, my numbers need to fit my set up. It is the long nights of winter when the birds are rooster up for 14 hours, but your really need room in your coop.

Mrs K

 

[keeper 1960]

i have had RR,s keep laying for 4 years or more. my current one is 5.5 years old and stopped laying in sept.i like a hen that lays less per week, but more eggs in later years.spring chicks will lay all winter long.

 

[aart]

As to your original question I try and do 1/3 2+, 1/3 1+, and 1/3 coming into lay in August. I tend to cheat on my numbers in the summer, but come the fall, my numbers need to fit my set up.

Yep, that's about what I've done.
It can be a hard balance.
Hatch, or get new chicks, every year as early as possible so they start laying before fall.
I also use supplemental lighting in winter, after the olders have molted, to keep the egg supply up.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I pretty much do what Mrs K said. There are always twists. I'll use 10 hens just so we have numbers to talk about.

Not all but many production type pullets especially will skip the molt their first year and continue to lay through their first winter whether you supplement the lights or not. You are in North Carolina (thanks for that info) so your winters should not be that harsh. Chickens can reduce laying in severe heat or severe cold, that should not bother you too much.

Every year in late February or early March I hatch out a bunch of chicks with my incubator. I'll hatch others later too but this first hatch is the important one for our discussion. I'll eat the cockerels at around 5 months but keep the pullets for eight months so I can evaluate them for laying. With 10 hens the magic number from above I would keep five pullets and put the rest of the pullets in the freezer. It takes a couple of year to get the rotation set up but every fall I keep five new pullets. Some of these would be my winter layers while the others molt. One year this did not work. They didn't start laying until the first week of December, the shortest days of the year. Those broke all the rules. You'll find that chickens do that. The only thing consistent about them is that they are inconsistent.

The previous year I kept five pullets that were my "winter layers" that year. When fall hits they molt. I carry these five through the winter of their first molt.

The year before that I also kept five pullets. When they start their second adult molt they go in the freezer.

So every winter I carry ten females through the winter, five pullets and five hens. In late summer just before the molt I have ten hens and the pullets laying. And I eat a lot of chicken.

It's a pretty simple system once you get it set up. And of course there are all kinds of twists on this. Instead of hatching you can buy new pullets every spring. You can even get different colors each year so you know which hens are how old. Instead of a two year rotation you can use a three and replace a third each year.

One thing to remember is that nothing really works out exactly as you plan. You have to stay flexible. Many years I have to keep an extra pullet or two. Stuff happens. But it is good to have a plan.

Good luck!