How old is too old for chickens

[aart]

why should I buy these that will molt for 3 months with no eggs

IMO, you shouldn't.

 

[GoinCountry]

I am also selling some of my senior hens. It's to my advantage to sell them and replace them with younger birds. I'm being honest about the birds' age and the fact that they are likely to molt.

My buyers have different reasons. Some want a mixed age flock -- adding adult hens to a flock of young pullets. Some want to be absolutely sure they get hens only and not rooster. Some don't want to raise chicks. Some want the breeds I have available and don't care about the age.

People have their reasons to buy or to not buy. As long as the seller is honest about the birds' age no one is taking advantage of anyone.

Oh, I didn't imply anyone was being taken advantage of! I was asking about buying chickens that age or waiting until spring to raise some. The difference between waiting three month til they start laying and feeding higher prices protein food, to raising some from chicks, which, I understand takes 3 months as well.

 

[Aunt Angus]

My birds don't take 3 months to molt. A few weeks, maybe, unless it's a very hard molt. And it's the shorter days that slow them down more than anything.

I've been tempted to buy older birds to avoid cockerels. And my birds are both egg producers and pets, so slowing down isn't a big deal to me.

 

[NatJ]

The difference between waiting three month til they start laying and feeding higher prices protein food, to raising some from chicks, which, I understand takes 3 months as well.

Molting hens do not need any more protein than growing chicks do. Chick starter is suitable for both (and has more protein than typical "layer" feed.)

When you raise chicks, they usually need 4 to 5 months before they lay eggs. Some breeds are known for taking longer than that. So you will probably have eggs sooner if you buy adult hens that are about to molt, than if you start with young chicks. (Starting with chicks may have other benefits, at least for some people, but getting eggs quickly is not one of them!)

 

[3KillerBs]

Oh, I didn't imply anyone was being taken advantage of! I was asking about buying chickens that age or waiting until spring to raise some. The difference between waiting three month til they start laying and feeding higher prices protein food, to raising some from chicks, which, I understand takes 3 months as well.

The best option if you don't want to raise chicks is to buy Point-of-Lay Pullets -- that is, pullets who are around 4-6 months old and either just about to start laying or just beginning to lay.

I usually get about $15-25 each for those depending on if they're crossbreeds, common breeds, or desirable breeds.

 

[GoinCountry]

The best option if you don't want to raise chicks is to buy Point-of-Lay Pullets -- that is, pullets who are around 4-6 months old and either just about to start laying or just beginning to lay.

I usually get about $15-25 each for those depending on if they're crossbreeds, common breeds, or desirable breeds.

thanks. I know what to look for next spring. Im gonna try to get a dual purpose bird.

 

[3KillerBs]

thanks. I know what to look for next spring. Im gonna try to get a dual purpose bird.

Where, in general, are you located?

If you put your location into your profile people can give better-targeted advice.

People usually hatch chicks in late winter to spring so POL pullets are usually more available in the summer.

 

[Ridgerunner]

but apparently molting chickens molt for 3 months

Not really. Some hens are fast molters. Their feathers fall out in bunches but are fairly quick to grow back, maybe a month or so. Others are slow molters, their feathers fall out so slowly it's hard to tell by looking at them that they are molting, about the only way you can tell they are molting is that you see a lot of feathers floating around. These might take 4 or 5 months to complete the molt and return to laying. Most are somewhere in between. This is controlled by genetics, not what they eat. It's all about how fast the feathers fall out. They have to fall out before they can grow back.

and have to be fed a high protein $$$ food.

Not really. Feeding them high protein does not cause the feathers to fall out faster. Feeding a higher protein feed may cause the feathers to grow back a bit prettier but it does not noticeably speed up the process of the molt being over faster. I personally don't like to load them up with extra protein when I don't think they can use all of it. Their body has to work extra hard to get that out of their system so it doesn't cause medical problems.

A local farm sells red sexlink chickens 18 months old. From what I've read, this is molting age. they ALWAYS sell their 18 month old chickens. why should I buy these that will molt for 3 months with no eggs instead of raising chicks in the spring or buying layers in the spring?

There are two different types of red or black sex links sold by the hatcheries we use. One type is made by breeding two different color/pattern dual purpose chickens to get the genetics so you can tell by the down which are boys and which are girls at hatch. These are like their dual purpose parents. No special treatment required, higher protein is less likely to hurt them. That does not sound like what they are selling.

The other type are the commercial egg laying hybrids. These have been specially bred to produce a lot of large eggs on less protein. Their smaller bodies means less nutrients (including protein) are required for normal body functions. They are bred to convert more of what they eat to egg production so they don't need as much protein as the full-sized dual-purpose chickens need to produce a lot of large eggs.

If they eat large volumes of protein the eggs will get larger. Their internal egg making factory is pretty specialized, more so than dual purpose chickens and their bodies are generally fairly small, about the size of a leghorn. The larger eggs makes them more susceptible to injuries or medical problems. High protein content can cause them to lay more double yolked eggs or make them more likely to lay two eggs in one day. If that happens they may not have enough shell material to cover both eggs so you can get soft-shelled or thin-shelled eggs. The commercial hybrid layers have a reputation of having laying problems because their internal egg laying system is so finely tuned to lay a lot of large eggs. In my opinion feeding them extra protein makes those medical problems more likely.

A general laying cycle for the commercial egg laying hybrids is that they start laying around 5 months of age (they control when laying starts by controlling the lights), and they continue to lay until production becomes unprofitable. If hens lay for long periods of time without a break to molt production can drop off and egg quality can drop. With the commercial laying hybrids that's usually around 13 months of continuous laying. 5 months + 13 months = 18 months. Then they are faced with a decision. Do they get rid of them and get some new pullets to start the cycle over or do they feed them through a molt to get back to profitable egg production. After this first molt egg production usually comes back really strong but after each adult molt after that egg production significantly declines. When they get rid of the flock to replace them they are unlikely to buy day old chicks and raise them to laying age. They will buy POL pullets so they don't have to go five months before they can start selling eggs again.

I knew a guy that would get 10 of these hens when they were ready to molt and feed them through the molt. After another laying cycle where he got a lot of eggs he would eat them and get 10 new hens to go through the cycle again..

I don't know what the right decision for you is if you want more chickens. You can get day old chicks and raise them, get POL pullets, or get some of these that sound like the commercial hybrids and feed them through a molt. But at least make the decision based on facts.

Good luck!

 

[3KillerBs]

The difference between waiting three month til they start laying and feeding higher prices protein food, to raising some from chicks, which, I understand takes 3 months as well.

You might find this thread of mine interesting since it's about my California White's molt last year. https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/25208310

Raising chicks to POL takes around 20-24 weeks depending on breed, time of year, etc. Some fast commercial hybrids *might* lay at 18 weeks under the most favorable conditions. Some slow-developing heritage breeds might take as long as 6 months to lay.

 

[gtaus]

My hens were good layers their first 18 months, then a molt, OK laying for another ~10 months, then very little eggs after that. At 3+ years of age, I get maybe 1 egg per day from 5 chickens. If you have chickens primarily for egg laying, age matters.

I know what to look for next spring. Im gonna try to get a dual purpose bird.

My initial thought, too. However, unless you are determined to butcher the dual purpose hens after a couple of years, then you might have better egg production from hybrid breeds. Also, are you prepared to eat an old hen? Taste might not be near as good as 10 week old Cornish meat bird.

Old joke. How do you cook an old hen? You boil a pot of water with rocks, put old chicken in the pot to cook for 2 hours, remove chicken and drain water, eat the rocks!

Joel Salatin, a commercial farmer with a popular YouTube channel, culls his laying hens and feeds them directly to his hogs. There is no commercial market for old laying hen meat, and it is not worth his time, money, or effort to butcher old laying hens for meat.

For a backyard flock, it may be worth your time and effort, but I would not expect the meat from an old bird to be as tender and tasty as the 10 week old meat birds.