How long do hens lay eggs for?

[Nerdicus]

Well thanks for the feedback guys! Especially luvmygirlsinAK! That is exactly how we live our lives. Organic stuff as much as we can, and healthy foods at all time. Organic dark chocolate for desert( because it is actually good for you!) and all that stuff.

I'm stoked that I likely get good eggs from old chickens if we treat them right and feed them good. Woohoo! I didn't like the idea of having to keep adding( and possibly subtracting!

) to our flock in order to keep getting enough eggs for everyone, and now I have hope that with some tlc and good feed for the chickies, things will be all good in the hood.

Thanks!

 

[digitS']

Quote:
Good to know that I've been appreciated

!

But, I'm beginning to see a different path forward and may be learning from the error of my ways. Even "reading the literature" like I quoted above suggests that I may have been cutting off my nose to spite my face . . .

May be mixing my metaphors and mixing my flocks with young and old in the future.

Steve (no Spring chicken, either

)

 

[Nerdicus]

Well, I found a very good way of getting rid of old hens that just won't lay an egg, have them made into sausage!

The family whom wee will be getting our chicks from in the spring( Dorkings!) said that they keep their hens for 3 years and then have them sent off to a local butcher who turns them into delicious chicken sausages, and that seems to be about the best thing I have figured out to do with them old hens.

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

Quote:
Sorry, you can't have my 3 1/2 year old chickens that give me an egg everyday, sometimes 2! You'll have to make do with making your sausage out of your own chickens!

Like I said-better nutrition provides eggs even when elderly!

I pity your poor senior citizens-I sure hope my chicks (kids) take better care of me when I get old!!

I'm very thankful and honored to "take care of" my elderly mom who is 82-guess what?!! I feed her well and she gets around just great!

No medications, doesn't even have a regular Dr. (unless you include me!

) She calls me her Dr.!!!

(always wanted to use that one! We also had an elderly rabbit, but he only produced lots of pellets, and I don't mean the food kind!

No baked goodies from him!

) Cause I take care of her and make sure she eats a proper diet!

Guess what?! Because I honor her and take care of her-she spoils us with fresh baked goodies (the nutritious kind, that is!)

Better yet, Nerdicus, why don't ya just send them to me, I could really use the extra eggs!!

I don't need the sausage, if I really want some, I'll just go down to the store and buy my usual organic sausage.

 

[vegaschick]

Quote:
Do you feed them layer feed as well? I'm very interested in the quantities that you feed all these goodies and where do you get them? I got four 3 yr. old hens in Nov. and just got my first egg from them. They were in terrible shape, underfed and molting, when I got them and now are beautifully feathered and sooo much bigger. I feed them a mix of crumble and pellets as well as sunflower seeds (BOSS), yogurt, kitchen offerings, and an occasional can of tuna (packed in water, of course) as well as a bit of scratch. I have to really watch the amount of scratch they get cuz it gets so hot here. Also do you mix your goodies into their regular feed or do anything special as far as mixing it into mash or what have you?

 

[countrychics]

don't get rid of the old hens... they are all cost effective just for the natural relaxation of having them as pets.. plus the eggs are a bonus..and you can always sell some of your eggs to buy feed...just calculate the feed bill for say 6 months, and sell that many eggs.. that's what we do to avoid letting any hens go.. but we do 'dismiss" the occasional mean roostr!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[countrychics]

Quote:
Sorry, you can't have my 3 1/2 year old chickens that give me an egg everyday, sometimes 2! You'll have to make do with making your sausage out of your own chickens!

Like I said-better nutrition provides eggs even when elderly!

I pity your poor senior citizens-I sure hope my chicks (kids) take better care of me when I get old!!

I'm very thankful and honored to "take care of" my elderly mom who is 82-guess what?!! I feed her well and she gets around just great!

No medications, doesn't even have a regular Dr. (unless you include me!

) She calls me her Dr.!!!

(always wanted to use that one! We also had an elderly rabbit, but he only produced lots of pellets, and I don't mean the food kind!

No baked goodies from him!

) Cause I take care of her and make sure she eats a proper diet!

Guess what?! Because I honor her and take care of her-she spoils us with fresh baked goodies (the nutritious kind, that is!)

Better yet, Nerdicus, why don't ya just send them to me, I could really use the extra eggs!!

I don't need the sausage, if I really want some, I'll just go down to the store and buy my usual organic sausage.

you ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mahonri]

I have an old recue EE (has to be over 4 years old) that gives me two green eggs a week... but the texture of the egg is rather chalky.

Eggs are still tasty though.

 

[MowNGrow]

Quote:
Sorry, you can't have my 3 1/2 year old chickens that give me an egg everyday, sometimes 2! You'll have to make do with making your sausage out of your own chickens!

Like I said-better nutrition provides eggs even when elderly!

I pity your poor senior citizens-I sure hope my chicks (kids) take better care of me when I get old!!

I'm very thankful and honored to "take care of" my elderly mom who is 82-guess what?!! I feed her well and she gets around just great!

No medications, doesn't even have a regular Dr. (unless you include me!

) She calls me her Dr.!!!

(always wanted to use that one! We also had an elderly rabbit, but he only produced lots of pellets, and I don't mean the food kind!

No baked goodies from him!

) Cause I take care of her and make sure she eats a proper diet!

Guess what?! Because I honor her and take care of her-she spoils us with fresh baked goodies (the nutritious kind, that is!)

Better yet, Nerdicus, why don't ya just send them to me, I could really use the extra eggs!!

I don't need the sausage, if I really want some, I'll just go down to the store and buy my usual organic sausage.

you ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE THIS SITE... I too am keen to know the mearsurments for what you feed your ladies? Mine are only coming up for 6 month pullets and 4 week old chicks. In australia too things are different as in what we can get. Do you find the eggs are tastier when your ladies are fed organic feed?

 

[vonny]

Its good to see some older chooks are still laying i have some that dont seem to lay much at the moment, its cold down here in Tassie riht now though! As I inherited these chooks with the house I dont know hoe old they are theyd have to be 3yrs+ though! They lay better in spring and summer. The thing is though dont chooks only have so many eggs in them, like us female human varieties, and say if the former owners had perhaps increased their laying by putting them under lights wouldnt those eggs left be quite diminished? I ll try some of these diet remedys though!