Flock rotation

[archeryrob]

So what ages do you all rotate hens and roosters in your flocks? We had this discussion the other night as we are raising new chicks from eggs and thinking about banding them so we can identify and track them.

My daughter has 11 RIR and 4 Leghorns with Brahma rooster. These are the egg layer flocks and all are about a year old.

I just bought 10 Dark Cornish pullets and 5 cockerels which 3 roosters will get culled and maybe smaller hens. These are to be the breeder stock for hatching eggs starting January - February time to get chicks for meat birds.

So when do you cycle old birds out to the pot and bring in new ones?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Of course there are different ways to do this. Some people wait until egg production drops and start all over. When that happens depends on your goals and standards.

My system is that I settle on a flock size, how many hens do I want. Then, every year I keep half that many pullets. Say you settle on ten hens in your laying flock. Keep five pullets each year. Then after the second full year of laying I remove the oldest ones, when they stop laying and molt. So every winter I keep the five pullets and the five that were pullets the previous year. When spring roles around I have ten hens laying. By fall I have those ten hens plus the new pullets that are usually laying. When the molt starts the oldest are butchered.

 

[aart]

...depends on your goals and standards.

Exactly.....or rather, many varied options.

So what ages do you all rotate hens and roosters in your flocks?

About the same here as RR describes.
Every year I hatch new layers, and eat the cockerels and older hens to get the population down to winter numbers as I have limited winter housing.
Oldest hens I have are 3yo...one of those might stay this year.
My goals have shifted over the last 6 years.
Have had 3 cock/erels in that time, chosen due to crosses wanted rather than fertility capacity.