how many years do you keep your egg layers?

[halo]

I just keep them all. They free range over my 10 acres for the most part, so they can just hang out. If I get a few eggs a week from them, thats good enough.

 

[ske1806]

Then how often do you worm them?

 

[EweSheep]

I've got a four year old Welsummer and a five year old SSH bantam. They are here to stay, one is very friendly and the other one was my oldest Welsummer and most reliable Wellie that still lays an egg for me.

Most of the time I usually sell two year olds just to make room for the girls I want to keep. If they don't have the disposition, they are the first to go. If they are not the color of egg I want to keep, they are going anyway. If they have too much speckles, they go too. And I cull hard as well.

SKE, I don't worm as often and if they need it, they will get wormed.

 

[33yardbirds]

I bought 'em, I keep 'em. Unless I can enable some unsuspecting soul.

 

[guinealady]

I have never gotten rid of my older silkie hens that why I have 50 nowLOL ...but this year I must get my numbers down this is gonna be hard ...I love em all

 

[58TY]

I read some where that you should tally up the egg number and at the end of the year if you see a much lower number(EX curent 153 ,last year 267, big difference) than the year before ,its time to let them go.

 

[kla37]

I have grown to really love my girls, so I couldn't replace them. I'll probably just build another coop when they drastically slow down laying and let the one they're in now become a retirement home! They'll still eat bugs and fertilize everything, and be our little feathered friends.

 

[Illia]

I don't and don't think I'll ever buy new chicks to replace my old. Now, I might replace old with chicks I hatch myself. . . . But such a thing doesn't happen because of a search for production.

I'm not gonna get rid of a hen just because she doesn't lay as well, I'd rather get rid of one because her eggs aren't worth much or because she's certainly not in need of preservation or appeasement to my eyes.

I got rid of a bunch of hatchery Wyandottes just a month ago at 2 years old because my Ameraucanas, Marans, and Araucanas actually pay off for their feed, they'll last longer, and are much friendlier and will last longer. They're also actually broody, able to hatch out more chicks.

 

[Sassafras]

Not to hijack the tread but Illia the Shamo on your website is out of this world! I'd never heard of them and

 

[backyard clucker]

I replace my hens every year. We get new chick in the spring then in the fall I butch all old hens. We canned some last year and it was very good.