Getting rid of old hens and replacing them.

[GirlsHuntToo]

I have a couple questions in this post.
I first got chickens April 2020. So they are going to be 5 years old. Lately out of 108, one chicken is laying. Granted, I have 13 roosters, 11 of them going to butcher with in the next few months. I understand due to lack of light and cold that even younger hens will not lay. But I have 37 hens that are over the age of 4 years. There combs are a pale pink unlike my 2 year old and below hens, that means they are not laying right. Now some of my girls will never go anywhere until they die of old age, but some I really don't care as much about. Will they be any good to eat for soup or chicken n' biscuits? I have heard sometimes they can be tough.
We are going to be replacing them after our trip in late May/June. We are thinking about the Cackle Hatchery surprise box. Has anyone ever gotten this? What did you get (chickens, turkeys, ducks, etc.)? Is cackle hatchery a good one?
Also, looking for creativity here for names. We have 2 Black Copper Marans named Whiskey and Brandy. Thinking of going alcohol theme names, any ideas?

 

[DemeterAD9]

IMO there is not such thing as being too old to eat so long as the animal is otherwise healthy and in good shape. Yes they will be tougher so you’ll want to slow cook them, soup is always a good option. I find the crockpot works wonders on all species of wild game to soften the meat, chicken is no different.

As for comb color being paler in your old girls, I’m not sure. All I can say is when my pullet molted her comb went pale and sorta of shriveled a bit and she didn’t lay for several weeks. Then it turned red again and she started laying. Either way a 5yr old hen isn’t going to lay all that much so replacing them is a good idea.

As for your other questions, no idea but surprise boxes are always fun!

 

[azygous]

You've made a dizzying leap from culling to naming new chicks. It goes without debate that you may manage your flock any way you wish, but let's clarify a few things about laying hens.

You already understand that length of daylight has a direct effect on egg laying. There is a period between shortening days in fall triggering the hormones to slack off and lengthening days following winter solstice where there are no eggs. But by now, hens are beginning to start to lay again.

The combs go pale and dry in appearance during this period when daylight is short. They will redden up again as the daylight gradually extends. Young layers the age of your youngest will often lay through the winter, fertility being higher in their young bodies. But hens four and five years old are not "old". When the days lengthen sufficiently, they will be back to producing several eggs a week.

I don't cull old hens. This isn't to compare my management practices with yours, just to point out that old girls still have a few eggs left in them, too. My oldest hen was nearly fourteen when she died. The next oldest was thirteen, and that old girl would still push out a few eggs every spring. But the bulk of my hens lay regularly up to age six or seven.

You certainly may cull and use them for food, but don't be too hasty in deciding which ones that will make good gravy. Wait until the days are long enough to trigger laying and see which ones still have a career ahead for a few more years.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

You've made a dizzying leap from culling to naming new chicks. It goes without debate that you may manage your flock any way you wish, but let's clarify a few things about laying hens.

You already understand that length of daylight has a direct effect on egg laying. There is a period between shortening days in fall triggering the hormones to slack off and lengthening days following winter solstice where there are no eggs. But by now, hens are beginning to start to lay again.

The combs go pale and dry in appearance during this period when daylight is short. They will redden up again as the daylight gradually extends. Young layers the age of your youngest will often lay through the winter, fertility being higher in their young bodies. But hens four and five years old are not "old". When the days lengthen sufficiently, they will be back to producing several eggs a week.

I don't cull old hens. This isn't to compare my management practices with yours, just to point out that old girls still have a few eggs left in them, too. My oldest hen was nearly fourteen when she died. The next oldest was thirteen, and that old girl would still push out a few eggs every spring. But the bulk of my hens lay regularly up to age six or seven.

You certainly may cull and use them for food, but don't be too hasty in deciding which ones that will make good gravy. Wait until the days are long enough to trigger laying and see which ones still have a career ahead for a few more years.

Thank you for your information. We are going to wait until May to make our choice. Nobody in my flock is molting, and I'm still giving Layer feed, scratch grains, cracked corn, and oyster shells in there diets, and anything they find free ranging, hoping they start laying again. They finished molting about 5 weeks ago. Most of my first hens have died off at around age 3 - 4.

 

[aart]

out of 108

That's a lot of chickens!!
What is your goal for keeping chickens?

I used to hatch and slaughter every year so as to get some eggs over winter. The numbers I kept was based on winter housing roomy enough to be comfortable for the birds. learned that lesson the first winter, ChicknCabinFever is real and it can get ugly.

 

[azygous]

Do you have mostly production breeds? Sex links? That would be those breeds that were developed to lay twice as many eggs over a period of just a couple years, then their worn out reproductive systems burn out or develop tumors or infection and they die.

Traditional breeds usually continue to lay through their middle years, though they lay fewer eggs over their life span. Many of us choose to settle for fewer eggs in order to avoid the heartbreak of seeing these production breeds suffer from reproductive issues at the end of their very short lives. But if your objective is lots of eggs and then slaughtering for food, production breeds are a logical choice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Will they be any good to eat for soup or chicken n' biscuits? I have heard sometimes they can be tough.

They can be tough. So can wild game that people hunt for food.

There are two keys to them not being tough. One is to age them until rigor mortis passes. This has nothing to do with them being old, any chicken needs to be aged until rigor mortis passes.

Then it is how you cook them. Pressure cooking is an exception, a pressure cooker can tenderize the meat very well. But other than a pressure cooker, they need to be cooked slow and moist. Do not crank the heat up. If the water comes to a boil it is too hot. You want it to simmer. No frying or grilling, too hot and dry.

Coq au vin is a recipe to turn an old tough rooster into a gourmet meal, it works well on old hens. Chicken and dumplings is a traditional comfort food made from old hens. Soups and stews can work well. I like to cook them overnight in a crock pot with lots of water. The meat is fall-off-of-the -bone tender and the liquid makes an excellent broth.

We are thinking about the Cackle Hatchery surprise box. Has anyone ever gotten this? What did you get (chickens, turkeys, ducks, etc.)?

I have not gotten that package. Did you read how they said they do it? After all other orders are out they go to what's left and start grabbing at random. I think they make an effort to include some birds other than just chickens but they will have different things left over every time depending on what just hatched. I don't think they are out to take advantage of you (bad customer relations) but when they say they cannot guarantee something I'd take them at their word. They do not know exactly what will hatch week to week or what will be left over.

You notice that the birds are unsexed. I'd call them and chat with them about that. The vast number of chicks left are going to be males. I don't know if they use a method to select these chicks so you have a decent chance of getting a fair amount of females or if you are typically going to get mostly males.

I don't know what you want as far as male-female mix or what species you night want. Early on I stopped ordering "random" anything, even straight run, and ordered what I wanted. You may be happy just rolling the dice and taking a blind shot at what you get but I'm not built that way. They have enough other specials you should be able to order pretty close to what you want.

For example, you could order 15 Brown Egg Layer females and 25 Special Heavy Assorted males if that's what you want. Or if you want turkeys with them, order a specific number and type of turkey. It will be more expensive but to me it would be worth it. It may not to you.

One reason I stopped ordering straight run was that I ordered 7 straight run Buff Orpington and got 7 females. I'd have liked a couple of males. The odds of getting 7 all females or 7 all males was less than 1 in 100 but it happened. Odds are odds.

Is cackle hatchery a good one?

I think so. I started my flock with an order from Cackle. When I called they were hard to get to answer the phone, very busy. But when I got through they were helpful. I got what I ordered and they arrived healthy. What more do you want.

Also, looking for creativity here for names. We have 2 Black Copper Marans named Whiskey and Brandy. Thinking of going alcohol theme names, any ideas?

Look through this link.

https://www.acouplecooks.com/types-of-alcohol-liquor-names/

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Any chicken needs to be aged until rigor mortis passes.

How does this work? I usually just eat tough chicken meat

 

[Ridgerunner]

How does this work? I usually just eat tough chicken meat

When an animal dies it undergoes rigor mortis. The body gets stiff. You can look up the details.

Over time the stiffness passes and the body becomes very limp. How fast it gets over rigor mortis varies based on age and temperatures. Once the joints move freely rigor has passed.

To keep bacteria from multiplying the body needs to be kept cool enough that bacteria don't multiply. You can do that in a refrigerator or in an ice chest on ice. You do not want it to freeze, just stay cold.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Do you have mostly production breeds? Sex links? That would be those breeds that were developed to lay twice as many eggs over a period of just a couple years, then their worn out reproductive systems burn out or develop tumors or infection and they die.

Traditional breeds usually continue to lay through their middle years, though they lay fewer eggs over their life span. Many of us choose to settle for fewer eggs in order to avoid the heartbreak of seeing these production breeds suffer from reproductive issues at the end of their very short lives. But if your objective is lots of eggs and then slaughtering for food, production breeds are a logical choice.

I have mix of Barred Rock, Buff Orpington, New Hampshire Red, Black Australorp, Easter Eggers, Speckled Sussex, Golden Comet, Light Brahma, All varieties of Wyandotte and others.

They can be tough. So can wild game that people hunt for food.

There are two keys to them not being tough. One is to age them until rigor mortis passes. This has nothing to do with them being old, any chicken needs to be aged until rigor mortis passes.

Then it is how you cook them. Pressure cooking is an exception, a pressure cooker can tenderize the meat very well. But other than a pressure cooker, they need to be cooked slow and moist. Do not crank the heat up. If the water comes to a boil it is too hot. You want it to simmer. No frying or grilling, too hot and dry.

Coq au vin is a recipe to turn an old tough rooster into a gourmet meal, it works well on old hens. Chicken and dumplings is a traditional comfort food made from old hens. Soups and stews can work well. I like to cook them overnight in a crock pot with lots of water. The meat is fall-off-of-the -bone tender and the liquid makes an excellent broth.

Thank you for the tips.

I have not gotten that package. Did you read how they said they do it? After all other orders are out they go to what's left and start grabbing at random. I think they make an effort to include some birds other than just chickens but they will have different things left over every time depending on what just hatched. I don't think they are out to take advantage of you (bad customer relations) but when they say they cannot guarantee something I'd take them at their word. They do not know exactly what will hatch week to week or what will be left over.

You notice that the birds are unsexed. I'd call them and chat with them about that. The vast number of chicks left are going to be males. I don't know if they use a method to select these chicks so you have a decent chance of getting a fair amount of females or if you are typically going to get mostly males.

I don't know what you want as far as male-female mix or what species you night want. Early on I stopped ordering "random" anything, even straight run, and ordered what I wanted. You may be happy just rolling the dice and taking a blind shot at what you get but I'm not built that way. They have enough other specials you should be able to order pretty close to what you want.

For example, you could order 15 Brown Egg Layer females and 25 Special Heavy Assorted males if that's what you want. Or if you want turkeys with them, order a specific number and type of turkey. It will be more expensive but to me it would be worth it. It may not to you.

One reason I stopped ordering straight run was that I ordered 7 straight run Buff Orpington and got 7 females. I'd have liked a couple of males. The odds of getting 7 all females or 7 all males was less than 1 in 100 but it happened. Odds are odds.


I think so. I started my flock with an order from Cackle. When I called they were hard to get to answer the phone, very busy. But when I got through they were helpful. I got what I ordered and they arrived healthy. What more do you want.

I read all reviews and it looks like they only give 2 turkeys and 2 ducks - or non or one of those. Out of reading most people only got a few males to 25%. Any males we get we always put them in a canning jar and use them for meals. No big deal if it's a boy.

Look through this link.

https://www.acouplecooks.com/types-of-alcohol-liquor-names/

Thank you!