Hufflefluff
Songster
Hello!
I've had chickens for ~3 years, and I've always gotten new chicks in the spring to replace deaths. However, since I restarted my entire flock last February (after a predator got all of my previous girls at once) I've had no deaths, and so I have nothing that I need to replace. However, it's spring, and... I want chicks. So, how often do y'all get new birds?
And, a very connected question, how long do you let your birds live with you? I was very connected to my original flock- treated them like pets- and I was devastated after losing them. I since decided not to get as attached to my hens, and my current girls are much more eye-candy & egg producers than family members. As such, I'm considering transitioning from my plan when I first got chickens- keep them for 6-8 years and replace only as necessary- to getting three/four new chicks every spring and processing my least favorite of the adults every fall once the newbies started laying. (I live in an area with an eight adult hen limit, so this would mean that I'd consistently have 8 layers). How long do you keep birds before 're-purposing' them? On one hand, it feels kind of cruel to cull healthy, laying birds at a year and a half because I don't like them. On the other hand, they'll be better for eating when they're still young-ish, and some of my hens haven't been laying as well as I'd like (I've had at least three that stopped laying in November and still haven't started back up yet. While they'll be fine layers again in March or so, I don't know if I want to keep birds that only lay eight months a year). Also, raising chicks is one of my favorite parts of chicken keeping- and I'd get some good stew hens at least once a year.
Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts and what you do with your own flocks.
I've had chickens for ~3 years, and I've always gotten new chicks in the spring to replace deaths. However, since I restarted my entire flock last February (after a predator got all of my previous girls at once) I've had no deaths, and so I have nothing that I need to replace. However, it's spring, and... I want chicks. So, how often do y'all get new birds?
And, a very connected question, how long do you let your birds live with you? I was very connected to my original flock- treated them like pets- and I was devastated after losing them. I since decided not to get as attached to my hens, and my current girls are much more eye-candy & egg producers than family members. As such, I'm considering transitioning from my plan when I first got chickens- keep them for 6-8 years and replace only as necessary- to getting three/four new chicks every spring and processing my least favorite of the adults every fall once the newbies started laying. (I live in an area with an eight adult hen limit, so this would mean that I'd consistently have 8 layers). How long do you keep birds before 're-purposing' them? On one hand, it feels kind of cruel to cull healthy, laying birds at a year and a half because I don't like them. On the other hand, they'll be better for eating when they're still young-ish, and some of my hens haven't been laying as well as I'd like (I've had at least three that stopped laying in November and still haven't started back up yet. While they'll be fine layers again in March or so, I don't know if I want to keep birds that only lay eight months a year). Also, raising chicks is one of my favorite parts of chicken keeping- and I'd get some good stew hens at least once a year.
Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts and what you do with your own flocks.
And you're absolutely right about overcrowding-- I have enough coop space for 12-15 birds, and I free range them in an area large enough to comfortably hold 25. Dang city regulations. Still, you're totally correct, which is why I'd need to cull if I end up with a few more.
