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- #11
- Jan 11, 2012
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I guess I'm having a hard time accepting that it's "Late" summer already. I'm in denial.Late summer to early fall is the typical time for molting. If you look around this board, many people are asking why their hens have slowed way down. That is because the hens have started molting.
If it were me, I would replace a couple of the older hens with some young hens that have just started laying eggs.
We've only had the flock for 1.5 years (they were donated to us when their owners moved out-of-state), but my plan is to get 3-4 new chicks every Spring to keep fresh blood in there. That seems to be about the rate of dying off amongst the old spinsters anyway.I got 3 new ones last Spring, who are no longer laying, and my 4 new ones from this Spring should be starting up any time now. so I hope that's a decent plan for keeping the flock somewhat young. Our hens are also pets, so culling them when their laying slows down isn't an option. They get to enjoy retirement.