Do you only keep your laying hens two years?

[beepbeepinajeep]

I keep reading that at two years you should stew laying hens. Is there anyone who keeps old hens? Do they still lay enough to justify keeping them? Should we just keep them a year & sell them the next year as year old laying hens? I am getting attached to our girls

 

[Attack Chicken]

My 2 leghorns have a home for good here

No stew pot or not getting sold...Unless the ol fat hen keeps attacking me then she might be sold.

 

[speckledhen]

My oldest girls are three and a half and still lay well, so they're not going anywhere. Even when they quit, they're pets and still provide fertilizer and bug control. I think if you want to do that, you'll need to avoid becoming attached to them.

 

[beepbeepinajeep]

I guess it helps to hear that others keep them past two years. The books just make it seem like nobody does that.

 

[Wifezilla]

My ducks have a home for life. I may sell them as pets once production drops off if I really need more eggs, but no stew pot. They are just too cute to eat.

 

[TcherDawn]

I think that is the "business" side of the story. Their food to laying ratio goes down as they age. But if they become pets, then that is different. What does a cat or dog give someone for the 15 years they are with us? Love, companionship, company, no eggs involved. And my dog eat a LOT of very expensive food compared to chicken food. If you count on your eggs for yourself, then maybe you could refresh your flock with new chicks every two or three years if you have the space? I have thought of this myself and have not had to make that decision yet. But I am attached to them as are my boys, so we shall see.

 

[beepbeepinajeep]

No way could I eat our duck Even the chickens are cute to me too... I feel hypocritical not wanting to eat our chickens, but having no problem eating someone else's chickens.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

As long as they are laying/earning their keep, they can live here happily for as long as they like. There are a couple of our hens that we really are fond of and most likely will not be stewing but, the majority end up in the stew pot. That is why we have chickens, to help feed our family.

 

[Dirt Road]

I get rid of most at two years, but when one establishes a "special" personality for herself, she generally will die of old age here. Don't think they pay their way after 2 or 3 years, but keeping chickens is not strictly a financial proposition for me. If it were I could probably do better at a part time job.

Jim

 

[Wifezilla]

my dog eat a LOT of very expensive food compared to chicken food.

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​