I went to my feed store today to get some straw for my girls. while there I started chatting with the clerk about eggs. She had some on the counter and I noticed some that I wanted to get. She told me that chickens only lay for about 2 years and that I needed to get some babies to replace them. Now does anyone know if this is true or is she just trying to get me to buy more chicks?
Different breeds will have different lengths of production years. After 2 to 3 years a chickens numbers will start to fall off. I have read in BYC that some go on for longer periods and some shorter. But it will happen eventually. Many people will start to phase in younger birds to replace the older ones. To answer your question; yes, she is right and she IS trying to get you to buy chicks...that's her job. lol
I have some 8-year-old chickens (Jersey Giants, Brahmas) still laying 4 to 5 eggs a week. I also have some that lay very occasionally, maybe 3 times a month. The younger ones are much more consistent, though.
Some breeds will start to really slow down at about 2-3 y/o. However, other breeds (like RIRs, Australorps, and Barred Plymouth Rocks from my experiences) will lay for a good 5 years, more or less. Since she works for the store, it's possible she also wants to help sell chicks.
