How long do you keep your chickens?

[chickens really]

Hello, that decision needs to be yours.
My Broody Hens remain and others get sold and replaced by young Pullets ..Ill Birds get Culled.
Never an easy choice but keeps my Hobby going...

 

[aart]

After 4 years I'm now keeping 2 age groups over winter,
in equal numbers(half hens half pullets) that fit my limited coop space.
Winter is ugly here, crowding the coop is unpleasant for everyone. BTDT.
Hatch new birds every year, and sell or slaughter extra cockerels and older hens.
Fits my goal of selling enough eggs to feed and supply all the birds year round,
and provide eggs and meat 'free' for myself to eat.
It has to mostly pay for itself annually,
the hobby part was the cost and effort of building the coop and run,
will never recoup those costs.

 

[SueT]

I let my oldest hens out to free range each day....as they are the most expendable. I have lost 2 that way to coyotes but they got months of happy ranging instead of being confined where they are constantly bossing the youngsters around.

 

[Fairview01]

I use staggered hatches so I have 100% egg production at all times. I always have replacement pullets coming up I the laying ranks. As the new pullets begin to lay consistently the oldest ones are culled. If it's spring I'll try to sell them as laying hens. Late summer fall they go to freezer camp.

Unless they are exceptional stock that make it into the breeding pens, any that make it to the 2 year mark are lucky.

I do have 2 black broiler hens I got from ideal that escaped processing. They are big, really big. Since they matured I can't recall them ever getting airborne except for plunking out of the coop in the morning They don't even run. Just waddle a little faster at times. My hard heart has soften for these butterballs. They provide a certain degree of entertainment but they are as ornery as a wet cat.

 

[BantyChooks]

How many years do you keep your chickens? I know many people consider them their pets, while others are more utilitarian about their flock.
Do you keep them for their entire lifespan or say goodbye when they stop producing?

Also what would be cause for early dismissal? A large or frequent vet bill for a sick/injured chicken? Or maybe one bird displays a trait that you don't like?

I have 7 birds. 4 I got a pullets last year. The other 3 I adopted and I am not sure of their age. Wondering how long I'll have these gals around for before I bring them to the auction and get an entire new flock. Or If I sort of replace one at a time on a as-needed basis.

Depends on the breed. Sexlinks are gone before first moult because I know they're rubbish after that, no matter how well they're laying then. Plus I just don't like sexlinks. They become cranky old biters after they hit about 10 months. Other birds are sold whenever their rate of lay drops beyond 2ish a week. Some others are kept their whole lives; those are the ones that have made a place for themselves in my soft ol' heart. Like Egghead jr said, if I had "that perfect bird" I would keep them as long as I was still getting that stray fertile egg... and longer than that, probably, since it's a shame to eat perfection.

Causes for early dismissal would be poor rate of lay as a pullet, aggression, poor health in general, or colour/type flaws in the case of my breeding birds. If the next to last item is in a pullet I keep her on as a layer, because the more eggs I get the better I can pay my feed bill.

In the past I have mostly sold older/extra birds but am hoping to move entirely over to putting them in the freezer. Waste of good meat to keep giving them away. I hate every bit of it but it's my responsibility.

If a bird is injured but otherwise okay I will try my best to save it. I can't take them to a vet, but I will treat at home unless it isn't humane to keep them alive.