How long will hens lay?

[SchafersmanFarmin]

Hi Everyone,
We inherited 5 hens when we purchased our new home and after extensive conversations with our new neighbors have determined our hens are approximately 5-6 years old minimally. I never even thought to ask the previous owners about how old the hens were. So my curiosity is during a hens life approximately how long do hens lay? We are getting a varied amount of 3-5 eggs per day. The ladies are healthy and roam our property when our dogs are not outside. They love treats of carrots, celery and strawberries that I bring home from work whenever there is leftovers. The ladies also are very alert and seem trainable to my whistle call each time I approach their fenced home that evidently is just a suggestion that they stay there...Lol...Any new chicken owner suggestions are always welcome!

 

[staceyj]

Welcome to BYC.
I love stories about people who inherit a flock!
Is there any way you can touch base with the previous owners? Maybe through your realtor?

 

[JaeG]

'Heritage' breeds lay for much longer than production type breeds. Some hens can still be laying a couple of eggs a week at 8 years old, whereas the production breeds tend to burn out after a couple of years. So your flock is doing well. Sounds like they struck it lucky when you moved in!