How long should I keep them?

[chick peeps]

I currently have three hens and they are 1 1/2 years old, and I am selling the eggs as a business. So I was thinking of replacing my hens next spring so they would be 2 1/2 years old. But today I used one of the eggs to bake something and when I cracked it, the yolk completely separated from the whites. Talk about a wake - up call! So one of my friends who has had chickens for years and has done a ton of research, said that my hens wouldn't be laying much at all by next spring. So my question is, should I get some chicks in about a month so they start laying in November or wait until next spring?
Thanks
- chickpeeps

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If you are already concerned about egg quality then I'd go ahead and get the chicks now. But make sure you are ready to deal with two coops/runs and all the extra work, since the best time to integrate is 16 weeks of age. So in other words they will need to be raised separately so they survive.

Your other option would be to wait for one of them to go broody and give her hatching eggs. But then you have to deal with roosters that hatch out.

 

[thechickenflock]

As your hens age, egg production will slowly decline. Your friend is correct, a chicken's main production years are from about 8 months old to around 2-3 . I would get chicks now and let your hens raise them. That way you always have a good egg crop and your chicks pick up on the rules from the hens you already have and they will pretty much raise your chicks for you.

 

[thechickenflock]

(It wont let me edit my first post) One thing I forgot to mention is that you should let one of your hens go broody before giving her the chicks. Chickens.... (No offense to chickens) aren't the brightest things around, and if you let one go broody you can sneak the chicks in next to her while she is sitting and she will (Most Likely) accept the chick as her own.

 

[chick peeps]

Yeah I did think about that but even though one of my hens is a Austrolorp and they are known for going broody, she has never done so. Plus I have heard that its not good to have a broody hen raise chicks with other hens in the same pen, so I wouldn't be able to separate them. Thanks for the advise!

 

[chick peeps]

does anyone else have any advice on the subject?

 

[bobbi-j]

Actually, most experienced chicken keepers will tell you that they prefer to let a broody raise chicks within the flock. The mama protects them, they learn flock etiquette, and they are already integrated. But it would not work to try to raise baby chicks within the flock by themselves. If you don't want to go with the broody, you'd have to find a way to separate them. When you start your replacement hens is totally up to you. You're the one who knows your flock's production and quality and how many you need to satisfy your customers' demands.

 

[donrae]

If you want a continuous supply of eggs, you should buy chicks now. Your 1.5 year old girls will take a break this winter and start back up in the spring. So, get chicks now, and the'll be hitting point of lay in the fall as your older girls are tapering off. Then next spring, your older girls will start laying, and you'll have tons of eggs throughout the spring, summer and into the fall, when everyone will again take a break. If you want eggs each winter, you pretty much need to get chicks each spring. Even if you force laying with supplemental lighting, they'll still take time off to molt.

 

[chick peeps]

Thanks for the help! does anyone else have any advise?

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I also sell eggs as a business. We sell hens in their second "laying year." The first laying year is from six months to 18 months, then the second laying year is from 18-30 months. After the first laying year, production goes down about 20%. After the second, you have to take another 20% off. Egg quality also declines quite a bit during the second year and we see some major problems if we keep them into the third laying year. These are production breeds, now--white Leghorns and Red Sex Links. You'll still get fewer eggs and some internal quality problems from heritage birds, but they seem to do better with shell quality even when the hen is older.

I'm with the others, buy your chicks now. We buy our chicks in late February, early March and sell the oldest hens when the pullet eggs have reached full size round about August. It is a pain having to keep two separate flocks. We keep ours on opposite sides of a fence and then combine the flocks at 18 weeks. I don't do it earlier because I don't want my pullets eating layer pellets until at least 18 weeks old.

Every year we buy some, hatch some, sell some, eat some. We also keep detailed records of rates of lay for the flock, and it's helped us out. I'm turning over 85% of the flock this year because we bought some started pullets from Meyer last year and the year before, and now that I have two years of data on them I can see that they're not laying as well as chicks I've had from other hatcheries in the past. That's why I have SO MANY chickens right now--I have enough pullets on hand that I can sell 85% of the flock this fall and not see a drop in egg production.