Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[chyna]

How long do hens normally keep laying. My originals are 3 years old. I am to attached to cull them out and I am at my capacity for room. Chicken rangling is full of hard decisions. I couldn't eat my hens.

 

[gladahmae]

I rehomed quite a few of my 3 year of hens last year. I advertised and priced them accordingly. I did keep my favorites, but for me, feeding 10 birds that won't lay often wasn't economical for me as I sell eggs to cover costs. How long they will keep laying depends on breed, if they lay all winter, etc. older hens will still lay, but it won't be an egg a day.

 

[chyna]

Thanks good to know.

 

[bigmrg74]

These little Buff Orpingtons i got are some messy buggers, have been billing out all of their feed in their brooder.

The six of them have gone through a 5 pound bag of feed already. At least now I have a bigger bag now.

 

[dyorto]

I can hardly wait to get some messy lil buggers

 

[WalnutHill]

These little Buff Orpingtons i got are some messy buggers, have been billing out all of their feed in their brooder.

The six of them have gone through a 5 pound bag of feed already. At least now I have a bigger bag now.

Depending on the style of feeder, either lay chicken wire on top of the feed so they can peck through it, or if in a trough attach a lip to the edge that extends in just 1/2" or so. My turkey poults do the same thing.

 

[aart]

These little Buff Orpingtons i got are some messy buggers, have been billing out all of their feed in their brooder.

The six of them have gone through a 5 pound bag of feed already. At least now I have a bigger bag now.

I made a couple of these to alleviate that....It's funny to watch them still just scratch their feet in the ground while they eat. Quart yogurt container, a funnel and a chunk of 2x4.



Here's another with disc of plywood and another lid on the bottom as a starter feeder,
they start eating off the floor, then the bottom lid then the feeder.

 

[Opa]

Making the decision to cull birds due to age is a difficult choice for many poultry fans. The desire to keep birds that have given us so much can often create a flock that is no longer cost effective.

All chickens are hatched with every egg they will lay. Different breeds are predisposed to produce more eggs than others. Some breeds will lay upwards of 300 eggs per year while others might only give you 25. Knowing what to expect for the breed you have factors into your decision. Each year the number of eggs diminishes and my experience has been to expect that by age 3 they will produce about half as many as at age one.

The breed size also can factor into your decision as to what to do with older birds. Heavy breeds or dual purpose birds can make excellent stewing hens. While the high egg production birds with a live weight of less than 5 pounds aren't of much value. This certainly a factor if you don't process the birds yourself. The cost per pound can be quite prohibitive.

Rather than waste time or money on these skinny birds I found that donating them to a raptor rehabilitation center to be a great use. The only down side is that many of the Nature Centers will only accept dead birds so you will have to euthanize them yourself.

I found this web site that might help you in your flock decisions.

 

[aart]

Hmmm....Raptor Rehab is an interesting idea.

 

[gladahmae]

Does anyone know if tractor supply "warranties" chicks at all like the hatcheries do when you get home shipment? Found a dead chick in the brooder this morning that we got on Monday. I'm guessing no, but figured I would check.