My hens are 4 years old. I have 7 and am lucky to get 2 or 3 eggs a week. Are their laying days over? Not sure what to do.
Four year old hens are getting close to retirement age, but some of it depends on the breed; also their living conditions, i.e., feeding, winter lights or no lights, etc.
Quote:And season. They may lay more when warmer weather comes, and as the days get longer (if you are in the US )
I have one hen that will be 2 in March, and she hasn't laid an egg in 4 months. She used to lay 6 eggs a week, sometimes 7... she'd miss maybe 3-4 days a month! I guess she's all laid out. I miss her pretty green eggs.
I have several hens who are 4-6 years old. They are taking longer and longer breaks with each molt, but some of mine are still laying. One bantam Cochin started back laying yesterday after a 7 month break-she'll be 4 in April. By the age of 5, they seem to lay only half the year, maybe slightly more, as long as they aren't laying internally.
I have an eight year old hen who still lays sometimes...yes, their mass production is over, but they probably will lay some more.
i don't know if this's true, i read threads here on byc that there're some 9-year old hens that are still laying. but of course not as productive as the earlier years. im not really sure about that. but laying for that long.. she should really retire by now.
I never realized that 2 to 4 year old chickens are considered retirement age. My chickens always lay eggs although not every day; They share nests so I don't ever know which ones are laying. I figured the cold or extreme heat or even drastic temp changes was what made a difference in the number of eggs I was getting. Whatd'ya know...always learning here on BYC!!
