Do you slaughter your laying hens after 2-3 years, or are they pets for you?

[Zinjifrah]

I'm on a slightly different boat than most of the people here. I don't like eggs.

Never have. I didn't get chickens as pets, though they are. I didn't get them for eggs, or meat. I'll use the eggs, but mostly to give to the neighbors. Doesn't matter how old my chickens get, they'll still be perfect for what I got them for.

Insect control. I live in spider/cricket/grasshopper/scorpion/jerusalem cricket/mormon cricket main-stage.

I got chickens for the first time this year, because it's projected to be a bad year for Mormon crickets. If you've never experienced that, it's bad. Think locust plague. They're currently swarming thick about a hundred feet higher elevation than me, maybe less. By 'thick' I mean a few thousand in a hundred square foot area. I just hope I can put together enough chickens to deal with it before they get down to my property, which is why I keep trying to hatch eggs! I've already brought one down and tossed it in the run, and there was an explosion of happy dinosaurs who all ended up with a chunk of katydid (technically, Mormon crickets are katydids, rather than true crickets) in their beak as they ran around.

As such, there's no reason for me to ever process my birds, or concern myself with egg production. I certainly won't be lighting the coop this winter. But that's a very different situation from most people.

 

[badbird49]

Hi!
I couldn't slaughter a hen once I've named her - they have always been my "girls" and the eggs are secondary. That said, my sweet Stella (a black sex link) is my only hen left from a small flock, the rest killed by raccoons or dogs, and she gives me a beautiful brown egg nearly every morning - and she is 8 years old! She's a happy old gal :>)

 

[vtcath]

I'm still debating on whether or not to process my layers after their peak egg production years are over. I feel like after two years I would be quite attached to each individual hen and they would be more like pets than livestock, but on the other hand, the idea of processing the flock out every few years and starting with fresh chicks also sounds appealing, as it would allow me to experiment with various setups and breeds. My birds are already very friendly at just over a week old though, so the idea of killing them for food doesn't sit quite right with me yet.

My dad doesn't have a problem stewing chickens that are not useful (non-productive layers or cockerels) or chickens that cause problems in the flock, but my mom finds the idea of processing our own meat distasteful and doesn't want them killed on the property and basically refuses to eat them. I used to have to dispatch animals for animal control (humane euthanasia), so I am not against doing it myself. My brother has offered to let me process any chickens in his yard so she won't be exposed to it (and also so the other chickens won't have to see it) but I'm not sure if I want to or not.

Do you kill your chickens for meat as well as collect eggs from them? Why or why not? When do you make the determination to do it? What is your process for going about it? Or if you refuse to eat your chickens, what do you do when they stop giving you eggs or otherwise being productive in the flock, especially if you have limited space?

 

[vtcath]

Hi, When I started my first flock three years ago, I knew that I wanted duel purpose hens to cull after two to three years and use them for meet. Last year was my first culling and it wasn't easy for me. I was as humane as I could be and started with two very mean roosters that I didn't like.
Once I got started though, it was easier. Bob didn't want to do the processing, but stayed with me and helped me through the each step. Once the chicken was deceased the rest was much easier. I feel good that I have raised my girls organically and gave them a very good life.

I know who has to go this year, and it does not give me pleasure, but I know it's they only way to maintain egg production and, I did end up with a broody girl this year, and am looking forward to hopefully successfully grafting chicks with her next spring.
Best of luck to you, and thank your hen for the eggs and happiness she share with you as you humanely pass her on.

 

[Mimi13]

Every chicken in my flock is as happy as a pig in the mud, fat and happy, so to speak. They live the life of Riley here. I provide them with the best nutrition and best Ft. Knox security that money can buy and I can build, so I am not losing birds to predators. And since I add new birds to the flock each year, it only makes sense that some will have to go. I grew up on a farm and that was just a way of life for me. I never thought twice about slaughtering steers or hogs. Now I will say that one or two of my original hens will get to live out their chickie lives here, along with any favorite that I may have from subsequent flocks. I think an older bird is valuable to a flock. However, one of my hens is already having reproductive problems and another is mean, so like @vtcath said, I know the ones that I will cull this fall. And once the littles begin laying, I will go ahead and cull those two, along with the extra cockerels I was dealt.
I understand completely the folks who have no inclination to cull and that is perfectly fine.

 

[PouleChick]

I think I'll be a combo kind of girl - there are some that I will never be able to cull (like my original 3 girls that I am very close to) but I do plan to cull in the future - still a while away for me as other than my 2 Silkies who are adult but here to be mummies and the 3 big girls the rest are only 6 weeks old or younger!

 

[townchicks]

This is such a personal decision, and one I think you won't know the answer to until the time comes. It's good to be thinking about it, though, so you have plenty of time to come up with what feels right to you, and the other members of your family. My little (3) backyard flock are pets only, with benefits. They will live out their lives with me, (barring unforeseen events) and will die from natural causes or euthanizing. There is nothing wrong with choosing other options, though, as long as it is done in a humane way. I have a friend who has an egg flock, and every year raises a batch of Cornishx for the freezer. She also buys 4H raised calves every year. She knows these animals have been raised humanely and with respect, and IMO, if you are going to eat meat, that is so much better than going to the store and getting something that probably hasn't had a good life or a good death.

 

[cuteychickens15]

I keep mine as pets. I couldn't imagine the thought of them waking up one morning, having a perfectly healthy life to be taken away from them and for them not to go back to bed the same day.

 

[Alexandra33]

I'm a little of both. My birds, for the most part, are beloved pets (all named) that produce eggs. I will say, it would be incredibly hard to consume an affectionate hen....call me tender-hearted if you wish. Having cultivated relationships with each one and gotten acquainted with individual personalities, the idea doesn't settle well with me.

That being said, if a hen is a proven troublemaker who disturbs the general flock peace, I have no qualms about sending her to the chopping block. Thankfully, this has only happened a couple times, but still. Any aggressive cockerels become delicious meals.

Another factor here: I own nothing but heritage breeds. No production hybrids in sight. I'll never be caught dead with a Red Sex Link.... Therefore, my girls are still laying 4-6 eggs a week at 3 years of age. There's really no reason to do away with them if they're still producing efficiently enough for our uses. Also, no artificial light during winter does the trick. I prefer a more natural lifestyle for the ladies.

Just to clarify, I completely respect those who cull their laying hens. For some, it's a business. Everyone views this subject through different eyes.

~Alex

 

[Mimi13]

I'm a little of both. My birds, for the most part, are beloved pets (all named) that produce eggs. I will say, it would be incredibly hard to consume an affectionate hen....call me tender-hearted if you wish. Having cultivated relationships with each one and gotten acquainted with individual personalities, the idea doesn't settle well with me.

That being said, if a hen is a proven troublemaker who disturbs the general flock peace, I have no qualms about sending her to the chopping block. Thankfully, this has only happened a couple times, but still. Any aggressive cockerels become delicious meals.

Another factor here: I own nothing but heritage breeds. No production hybrids in sight. I'll never be caught dead with a Red Sex Link.... Therefore, my girls are still laying 4-6 eggs a week at 3 years of age. There's really no reason to do away with them if they're still producing efficiently enough for our uses. Also, no artificial light during winter does the trick. I prefer a more natural lifestyle for my girls.

Just to clarify, I completely respect those who cull their laying hens. For some, it's a business. Everyone views this subject through different eyes.

~Alex

And, yep, you hit the nail on the head. The one having a reproductive problem is my Red Star. Unfortunately, with the first chickens we ever bought I had not read enough to know about the hazards associated with the production hens. If I had only known then what I know now. Well, that saying could be used with much more than just chickens!