She's not layin - is she good for dinner?

[jullom]

Have an ISA brown approx 1 1/2 yrs old. i've had her for a few months - have worked hard on her soft shells which got kinda hard for a while and now nothing for a few weeks - is this type of bird going to be "good" meat?

Also getting 4 golden comets - 18 wks old and laying - to go with 4 1 1/2 yr old ISA browns. Can i just put them in together and let them figure each other out or do i need to keep them seperated for a time?

thx.

 

[Renee']

I'm certainly not an expert but I think she maybe a little too old. She would probably be quite tough and stringy.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

She should be good for crock pot or slow cooked as in chicken & dumplings or noodles added with her.

 

[Kezzie]

What have you done to "work on" her shells?

 

[jullom]

we have fed some oyster shell and mostly some of their own egg shells back - it seemed to work for a bit - we got 2 eggs with hard enough shells to keep - then a few more soft ones and nothing for several days

 

[Sunny Side Up]

There was a good article in Backyard Poultry magazine about how to prepare older laying hens for soup or stew. They talked about how these hens, when prepared correctly, were well suited for this kind of careful cooking and made a rich & flavorful dish that also had lots of healthful benefits. Hence the chicken soup to help cure colds. Seen from that perspective, I could appreciate how this could be an honorable end for a loyal laying hen.

It's up to you do decide how long to keep her as a layer, and when to retire her to the table. You might be able to access this article through their website, http://www.BackyardPoultryMag.com