How long do you keep your birds?

[Swamp Roo]

How long do you keep your laying/breeding stock? Just curious. Mine just started to lay about 4-5 weeks ago and as I was feeding today I was wondering how long they were going to be around before they should be "cycled".

Swamp

 

[monarc23]

THey start slowing down aroudn 6-8 months at eight months they can start stopping all together. I have some hens that are around that age or a bit older still laying but not as fluently and they are starting to look almost always in a mild moult.

Those hens will be butchered out here very soon... I got some egg orders to fill first and wnt to put a few more in the bator first but after that it's time for them to go.

 

[ranchhand]

I left a hen in Texas when I moved- at 10 YEARS old she still lays 3-4 eggs a week!

She's a black Australorp.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

We do the 6 to 8 month time frame as well, we hatch out a bunch spring and fall and rotate each time

Steve in NC

 

[justpete]

Quote:
How often do you bring in new blood lines?

Peter

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
That's a chicken lol... we're tlaking about quail

 

[monarc23]

I bring in new bloodlines whenever I can my pens have been mixed bloodlines since the begining. If i have more than one roo to a color I make sure that each roo is from a totally different line.

 

[morninggloryhatchery]

Mine are around 7-8 months and they are slowing down

. There is 4 hens and i get 1 or 2 eggs a day. We were planning to eat them when they were done laying but i personaly can't. I just can't eat an animal then eat it.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I plan to hatch some out this fall to refresh my breeders. But I'll keep these until they aren't laying well. I only get 6-8 eggs from my 9 jumbo brown hens a day anyway, and the oldest ones are right now about 7 months old. But I think that's how I'll do it, hatch in the fall (late as possible) for the next season's breeders. Haven't decided yet if I'm going to keep a light on them for over the winter laying.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
My plans and undecisions as well! Eggs in the bator now and the few chicks I've selected to keep from a few weeks agos hatches are for next years breedings (even though ofcourse i'll get breedings out of them this year before winter). And I'm thinking im keeping atleast a few under lights this winter IF i can keep the eggs from freezing that is