Do you only keep your laying hens two years?

[beepbeepinajeep]

Do you use your duck eggs like chicken eggs? I am looking forward to trying our duck's eggs, but wondering if they will taste much different. We are also starting to get some quail eggs & I think we will be tryihng them for the firs ttime tonight

 

[Wifezilla]

Yup...I use them just like chicken eggs. They are little richer, but not that much different. My hubby can't tell the difference.

 

[TcherDawn]

Quote:
Exactly. My cats are COMPLETELY useless and their food is 3 times more expensive than duck food. I only have 6 ducks. I can afford to treat them differently than someone with a huge flock can.

I guess you could call them pets with benefits

funny post!

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I have some 7 going on 8 year old hens I will not part with or stew! Some still lay acouple times a week for me, since they have given me eggs over the years that I can let them have rest!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

We are planning on keeping ours two springs and the third spring we will sell them...but I am keeping a few that I like

 

[verlaj]

I have 9 old hens. 1 is 7 years, the others 4 or 5. 1 of these just hatched and reared a beautiful brood of chicks (eggs purchased from Halo). I hardly get any eggs from these gals, but they cost about nothing to keep, because they free-range all day. There are enough eggs for my husband and me. They are beautiful and friendly and think I am a goddess! I wouldn't think of killing them.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I think both approaches are valid, you can decide for yourself what to do with your own aging hens. It probably makes more sense for folks with larger flocks, especially if they contribute commercially, to cull & consume their older hens.

But there's nothing wrong if you want to provide other more comfortable retirement plans for your own dear ladies with names and family portraits on the mantel. No matter what "the books" say. You will find lots of company here to support you.

I'm still fairly new to keeping chickens. We started with a small laying flock which has grown & grown. I couldn't bear to bring any of the older hens from the original flock in to the table, nor the named roosters who have served as their husbands. Unless the family was really really desperate for food. But I do now raise other cockerels for meat. And I could see how one could manage to dispatch a laying hen past production. It would be her final contribution to the family, one that would be appreciated & savored, and one way to bring a purpose to her end.

 

[joanie_maine]

Do you think that this two years and gone thing came from the idea that an old hen might be tough and not so fine for fricassee?

My oldest hens are about four years old. They still lay eggs and are valuable flock members.

The best thing they do is BROOD and I keep the hens who are consistently excellent brooders!!!

 

[mechagrue]

Quote:
When I first started researching chickens, I was horrified at how often the word "cull" comes up. If the chickens are your livelihood, if they're more in the category of a crop than a pet, then I can see wanting to cull them at their second moult. After all, why pay all that money to feed an animal that isn't producing? Egg production does decline as the hens age, and if you're just looking at the balance sheet, I can see how you would make that decision.

For me, I knew going into this that my chickens were going to be pets. I wouldn't cull them at two years any more than I would put my cats to sleep when they start getting old and slowing down.

I think you may want to get some new books! There are a lot of chicken books that are geared towards casual/small flock owners.

 

[animal nut]

I myself could never kill one of my girls. They will live to be a ripe old age..... I told my neighbor that having chickens is like have 61 dogs. They follow us everywhere and even come to the back door for their treats.