hello everyone. new member here.

[Jay edington]

How can you tell how old a hen may be? I bought some off of a guy. And I belive they are older than what I was lead to believe. Any suggestions?

 

[nj2wv]

Welcome to BYC !!I don't know how to tell age once fully grown.

 

[drumstick diva]

Sorry I don't know, that's a good reason NOT to buy off "a guy". They could be past their laying days.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

It can be quite difficult to tell how old hens are after they reach one year. It's not like they are dogs who get white around the face as they age. If they aren't laying much and depending on their breed, they could be anywhere from 3-8 years old.

 

[N F C]

Hello, welcome to BYC!

I don't have the answer either but am curious to see if anyone else does. What makes you think they are older than represented, is it because they aren't laying?

Nice to have you join us.

 

[Jay edington]

Well I was just would wondering because I have 37 hens but only getting about 24 eggs a day.I was just wondering if there was any sign to look for on how a hen could be besides egg laying. Or tell me cause I am still new at this, is this a normal count of eggs for 37 hens per day? Thanks for any advice.

 

[N F C]

The number of eggs you are getting can be affected by various factors. How long have you had these birds? What are you feeding them? How large is their coop? What breed of hens did you get?

Need more info please.

 

[Jay edington]

We have had these dirds since the first of April. We areally feeding them roll pellets,along with oyster shells and cracked corn. Along with treats like bread and leftover veggies ever once in a while. They are a mix run of birds. There coop is 8foot ×8foot x 7 foot tall.

 

[N F C]

If my math is correct, your coop is small for 37 birds. The usual amount of coop space recommended for a standard size (non-bantam) breed chicken is about 4 sq. feet per bird. If your coop is 8x8, that equals 64 sq. feet which works out to enough room for 16 chickens. Chickens like some space and get stressed if too crowded. (Disclaimer: my math skills are rusty so correct me if I'm wrong!)

As far as feeding them, you'll want to watch the starchy stuff like corn and bread. Chickens love those things but it's not real nutritional for them and should be considered a treat. Treats shouldn't make up more than 10% of their diet or they'll fill up on that stuff and not get the nutrients a good feed will provide. Here's a chart that might be helpful to you on good things to treat birds with:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens

Hope this helps.