My chickens stopped laying. Should I kill them?

[WingingIt]

Lock them back up for a couple of days and see if you get eggs. I bet you do. I bet they are just hiding them really well (or a predator is finding and eating the eggs) while they are free ranging. They aren't that old yet.

 

[ICallMyselfCherie']

MomtoSyd&Emma :

We have 16 chickens today, (with eggs to hatch tomorrow

)

I cant imagine killing any of my girls unless it was to put them out of misery. We bought them as egg layers, not meat birds.

But they are our PETS that give back. And this is what I tell people. Our SSH (dottie) is my 4 yr old daughters bird, noone but her is "allowed" to eat Dotties eggs. I just cant see lopping off their heads because they either stop laying, cant lay or wont lay. To me that is no different than killing a canary that stops singing.

But as I said OUR chickens are our pets that give back, not production stock.

I'm really happy to hear you say that, MomtoSyd&Emma. I was beginning to wonder if this is how all people at BYC thought of things -- that once hens stop laying, it no big deal to just kill them. It's really quite a disheartening notion. It's very reassuring that you love and respect your chickens and their lives.

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

ICallMyselfCherie' :

MomtoSyd&Emma :

We have 16 chickens today, (with eggs to hatch tomorrow

)

I cant imagine killing any of my girls unless it was to put them out of misery. We bought them as egg layers, not meat birds.

But they are our PETS that give back. And this is what I tell people. Our SSH (dottie) is my 4 yr old daughters bird, noone but her is "allowed" to eat Dotties eggs. I just cant see lopping off their heads because they either stop laying, cant lay or wont lay. To me that is no different than killing a canary that stops singing.

But as I said OUR chickens are our pets that give back, not production stock.

I'm really happy to hear you say that, MomtoSyd&Emma. I was beginning to wonder if this is how all people at BYC thought of things -- that once hens stop laying, it no big deal to just kill them. It's really quite a disheartening notion. It's very reassuring that you love and respect your chickens and their lives.

lol you would know how much we love our chickens if you could of seen the 4 of us freaking out in awe that we have FIVE baby chicks just hours old in our camper coop!! One more egg if pipped and there are 2 more that I couldnt see to check!! I am soooo happy that we have babies, now lets just all cross our fingers and toes that they are pullets! lol lol lol​

 

[ICallMyselfCherie']

Woah, that's a great hatch!!!! Congratulations!!!

Okay, I'm crossing my fingers and toes that they all turn out to be pullets . . . and that your neighbors are really understanding if they don't!!!!!

LOL!!!

Lol, I know what you mean!! We just had a baby bird hatch about a week ago!!! It's kind of a "miracle chick", because we found the egg abandoned in a park that has a lot of chickens in it, along with about fifteen other eggs, some broken and rotten. We picked out three of them, took them home and gave them to our broody white silkie. Boy, was she happy!!! We were like 95% sure that they wouldn't hatch because they were all ice cold when we found them. Here's what happened: One developed for a while and then stopped moving,

one exploded (eugh . . . )

and one hatched into the most active chick you've ever seen!!!!

Isn't having chickens the best??

 

[ICallMyselfCherie']

Woah . . . those were a lot of emoticons!

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

ICallMyselfCherie' :

Woah, that's a great hatch!!!! Congratulations!!!

Okay, I'm crossing my fingers and toes that they all turn out to be pullets . . . and that your neighbors are really understanding if they don't!!!!!

LOL!!!

Lol, I know what you mean!! We just had a baby bird hatch about a week ago!!! It's kind of a "miracle chick", because we found the egg abandoned in a park that has a lot of chickens in it, along with about fifteen other eggs, some broken and rotten. We picked out three of them, took them home and gave them to our broody white silkie. Boy, was she happy!!! We were like 95% sure that they wouldn't hatch because they were all ice cold when we found them. Here's what happened: One developed for a while and then stopped moving,

one exploded (eugh . . . )

and one hatched into the most active chick you've ever seen!!!!

Isn't having chickens the best??

That is just AWESOME!!!!! I cant wait to have 5 minutes to check on the eggs today and chicks too of course!​

 

[ICallMyselfCherie']

Alright!

Tell me how it goes!!!

My two remaining eggs from a MM shipment (yes, only two remain), just went into lockdown!!!!

 

[MuranoFarms]

Holy threadjack!
Seriously.....just STOP with the 'don't kill your chickens' crap! Have you ever seen the inside of a meat or egg production facility? Honestly? I would rather cull and eat one of my girls/boys then eat one more tortured soul that went through that misery! My chickens live a great life here, but it makes more sense for me to process them myself then to sell them and buy meat that's been raised in a cage. In a room without sunshine or grass. Where their feathers are dirty and ragged from sleeping in their own poop and being pulled by other bored chickens. I saw the inside of what is considered an excellent commercial facility. It made me sick. I held one of the birds, in fact I put her to sleep with a neck rub. They are starved for attention! It's simply sad.

I know every step of my chickens life from the egg to their dying day. I also know that after I sell (or give away) one of my chickens I have NO say in what happens to that bird. It could end up on someones plate. Or used in fighting. Or neglected. Abused. I'm not stupid enough to believe that someone would tell me "yeah, I plan on eating your extra roo's" No....they're gonna play nice like that chicken is going to have a great long life. Then serve him bbq'd that weekend! So maybe it's more humane for me to process them here? It's just ridiculous to think that 'find them a home' is so easy. If you don't want them....why would anybody else?

What the OP does with her birds is a personal choice. Now.....Can we get back to the OP's question?


I agree to check for mites and lice. Have they free ranged before? If not, just the change in routine can be enough to throw them off awhile. Can they get under the coop to lay eggs? Mine like to sleep under the pine trees. I keep thinking I'm gonna find eggs under there on day! lol
You can always add DE to their dustbath areas and the coop litter. Just in case.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I agree with some of the others...check for mites and keep them confined for about a week to see if they are still laying rather then hiding their eggs

Check the vent area...and watch for creepy crawly's.

 

[KKatknap]

First - if the production stopped when they began free-ranging, I agree that the eggs are most likely somewhere. There are lots of stories about people finding piles of eggs in wierd places, so that's your best bet. And the post about predators finding them first is a good point.

Second, I also agree checking for mites is a good idea, based on your comments about the BR's vent.

Lastly, who says "cull" means "kill"?! You could easily sell 2.5-yr-old hens. Be honest about their laying, but someone looking for a ready-made flock on craigslist would undoubtedly jump on it. Especially if they know the whole story. I really believe they are still laying...somewhere.