Just noticed the age. May not lay for another month. Looks like you have plenty of room and with free ranging they will not each much commercial feed.
Since you are only keeping until the approaching winter here is my suggestion. Let them go to say mid to late October if possible. They will put on extra fat ( especially the hens) by then and will make great pots of chicken and dumplings and chicken noodle soup.
The last month limit their free ranging (this also helps add fat) and give them all the cracked corn they can eat. Around her I can get cracked corn for about $3 for 25 pounds.
My dad quit keeping chickens a few years ago because he couldn't go to and from the coop with snow on the ground but each year around Sept. goes to a auction and buys a half dozen or so "spent" laying hens. He feeds the grain for about a month then butchers them and has his stewing hens for the winter.
Give them all your kitchen scraps, they will eat most of it. Avoid onions, garlic etc. this can be passed to the flavor of the eggs.
Since you are only keeping until the approaching winter here is my suggestion. Let them go to say mid to late October if possible. They will put on extra fat ( especially the hens) by then and will make great pots of chicken and dumplings and chicken noodle soup.
The last month limit their free ranging (this also helps add fat) and give them all the cracked corn they can eat. Around her I can get cracked corn for about $3 for 25 pounds.
My dad quit keeping chickens a few years ago because he couldn't go to and from the coop with snow on the ground but each year around Sept. goes to a auction and buys a half dozen or so "spent" laying hens. He feeds the grain for about a month then butchers them and has his stewing hens for the winter.
Give them all your kitchen scraps, they will eat most of it. Avoid onions, garlic etc. this can be passed to the flavor of the eggs.
