How long do you keep your chickens?

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Quote:
By not killing a suffering bird you are being more cruel to it them giving it a quick death. I have had chicks before who wouldn't eat, would you rather I let them starve to death just to give them a few more days to live?

Please read the 10 Commandments of Flock Management at the top of Managing your flock. #7 & #8 in particular. A sick bird NEEDS to be culled/killed to protect the flock. If you can not in good conscience do this rethink being a chicken owner.

 

[SpringChickens]

Quote:
Oh no!!! Does that mean that you'll let IMPY rule the roost?!?!?

Seriously though, I hope Thor's leg stabilizes and you don't need to cull him once the weather warms up some.

 

[Wild Trapper]

I have never kept chickens longer than 4 years, most only a couple. I usually buy production or duel purpose birds. They are not pets, if they all look alike. However, the current bunch are mixed with EEs and they probably will live much longer lives than the rest. Roos are culled with the exception of one or two to carry on the meat production cycle.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Oh no!!! Does that mean that you'll let IMPY rule the roost?!?!?

Seriously though, I hope Thor's leg stabilizes and you don't need to cull him once the weather warms up some.

Thanks for the well wishes for Thor. Yeah, and let's not tell Impy.

 

[tenagr]

So how does this work with children? My kids and I just built a brooder box this weekend and plan to get chicks in February. I told them they could pick out the chicks and name them. I'm sure they will get over attached. Should we name them things like Omelet or Over-medium-well so they won't forget what they are for?

 

[bobbi-j]

It all depends on the ages of the kids and how you act with the chickens from the get-go.If you get these chickens and have a personal crisis every time you lose one, it will be tougher on the kids if you plan on eating these birds. If you can just be matter of fact and tell them, "This is part of raising chickens. Sometimes they die" they will handle it much better. If you let them make pets out of the chickens, they'll likely get attached. Maybe too attached. If you get the chickens and the kids know from the beginning that these birds are going to be for meat, it will help. Very few of mine have names, and if they do it's more for a physical trait - for instance, my rooster (pictured in my avatar) is named Blackbeard because of his beard. I rarely address him by name, though. I usually just call him Rooster. I have a Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte named Betty Blue because of her breed. She gets a name because she's very tame, comes up to me and lets me pet her. She's also the first one who went broody last spring and was a very good mama. I plan to keep her as long as she continues to want to raise babies. My last named one is Pigeon because she's light grey with a dark grey head - looks like a giant barn pigeon to me. When my sons were 10, 7 and 5 we got a bottle calf from a friend who was going out of the dairy business. He'd sold all his cows and this little guy was the last animal on his farm. Anyway, the boys named him "Butch". When asked why, they said, "Well, we're going to butcher him anyway, aren't we?" So again, it all depends on how you deal with it from the start. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy them. It's a fun hobby and good for kids to learn where their food comes from.

 

[ChickenCurt]

I have a few feathered friends but most are done at the end of their productive days.

 

[waldeneffect]

We've found a sweet spot when it's best to eat a broiler as opposed to feeding it longer and not getting much more meat.

Here's a blog post on the data my wife compiled on the subject.


http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Pay_the_least_when_you_process_broilers_young/

 

[lazy gardener]

My chickens all (5) have names, simply because it's easier to refer to them that way. I can say that Baby laid an egg, and Wenda is thinking about starting to lay again... instead of saying... that the EE with the partridge pattern... and the EE with the long red hackle feathers... But, in the end, when they are done producing, in the pot they go. My kids are 7 and 12, and though they are not fond of the idea... for all of his proud he-man bravado, the 12 year old less so, they accept the fact that chickens will eventually be meat. The 7 y.o. wanted to observe the process on butchering day last summer, when the roosters went to freezer camp. When I serve up home grown, I do it without fan-fare, but if they are able to tell that it came from our flock instead of the grocery store, I don't deceive. We have open and frank discussions about home raised meat compared to store bought, including the economic and environmental benefits of growing your own food where able. My 12 y.o. will say to me, You're a prepper, aren't you Grammy? My response: I believe in being prepared to meet your family's needs both economically and physically... and economics are on pretty shaky ground. But I'm not concerned, I've read the book, and know that the last chapter is very good.