I'm trying to make up my mind about if I should quit chicken keeping or not. Nothing bad has realy happened except for a dog killing 6 of my 23 a year ago. Since then I have hatched more and am back to 22 hens and one rooster. I'm in high school and tired of having to be home to put them away, and if I'm not home worrying about somone in my family putting them away. Its just stressful worrying about them and what I am going to do when they get to old to lay eggs. 16 of them a 2 years old and 7 of them are a year old. I have been trying to distence myself from them to detach myself. I still have afew that I'm attached to. I'm not worried about selling them to someone I'm worried about how they will be treated and protected. I know everything will die in the end I'm just worried about how they will live before they die. I can control what I do but I can't control somone else. When 3 years rolls around ilI don't know if anyone will want them so its sell them now or put them down/butcher them next spring. I'm thinking I should jump the gun and sell them now before fall rolls around. $150 for the hole flock doesn't sound like a bad price especially with the 7 one year olds. I think I'm going to sell them all or nothing so I don't get stuck with our rooster. I could care less what they do with him but don't want to know. I don't know how do you guys cycle out your old hens, have any of you gotten rid of hens but are still on this site that can help me out. I feel like the first week will suck but then I will start forgetting about them.
The road to quitting chicken keeping?
- Thread starter Danny188
- Start date
This sounds like excellent solution for you, if he's interested.
Huge Kudos on being mature and pragmatic enough to realize chicken keeping is not the best thing for you at this point in your life.
I think you are wise to be thinking ahead. College may be ahead for you or any number of different life changes. Your chickens may or may not be able to be a part of that future until your life stabilizes. Planning ahead for your chickens is the responsible thing to do, even if you don't have to do anything in the next days or weeks.
Some chickens continue to lay eggs well into their 5th or 6th year or even longer, depending on breed, though they may slow down. Placing them now means you wouldn't be trying to find homes for completely spent hens.
Looking to home the entire flock sounds to me like your best bet. That would be the least traumatic for the flock if you can do it, and like you said, would most likely assure a home for your roo as well. Would also, IMO, be the best option for you emotionally. You'd have a pretty good assurance the flock was going to a good home, and it would be a clean break for you, being a "one and done" sort of deal. I wish you luck in all your future endeavors.
Some chickens continue to lay eggs well into their 5th or 6th year or even longer, depending on breed, though they may slow down. Placing them now means you wouldn't be trying to find homes for completely spent hens.
Looking to home the entire flock sounds to me like your best bet. That would be the least traumatic for the flock if you can do it, and like you said, would most likely assure a home for your roo as well. Would also, IMO, be the best option for you emotionally. You'd have a pretty good assurance the flock was going to a good home, and it would be a clean break for you, being a "one and done" sort of deal. I wish you luck in all your future endeavors.
- Thread starter
- #4
Actually I know a kid at school who has a poultry business, he makes alot of money off it and haches his own chicks so I will have to give him a deal on them but I will know they will be in a good home till then stop laying and then he will do what needs to be done with the least amount of stress on them.
This is very responsible of you to think ahead.
I like the idea of contacting the kid who has his own business. You may have to give him a deal and you may not, you can first see if he is interested.
I like the idea of contacting the kid who has his own business. You may have to give him a deal and you may not, you can first see if he is interested.
U_Stormcrow
Crossing the Road
Agree. They have become a source of stress which you can alleviate by selling them, at fair price, to a responsible home, where they will continue to live out their purpose in the keeping of one you know. I'd say that very "adult" of you, but many adults are do not so well rise to life challenges.
As you look to the future, perhaps college, perhaps continuing with a job, remember this time and its lessons - the stories of your chicken business, its ups and downs, will help separate you from other candidates, to your benefit.
Hopes for positive outcomes for all - you've done your research, this is likely the best odds you will see. Roll the dice.
As you look to the future, perhaps college, perhaps continuing with a job, remember this time and its lessons - the stories of your chicken business, its ups and downs, will help separate you from other candidates, to your benefit.
Hopes for positive outcomes for all - you've done your research, this is likely the best odds you will see. Roll the dice.
I think that you've come up with a good plan of action.
The circumstances of your life are changing and sometimes that means your hobbies have to change along with them. At a later point in your life your circumstances will change again and you may want chickens again.
For me it was a job where I worked long hours -- for much of the year I left home just after sunrise and got home at dusk. I retired my in-town flock and didn't get more chickens until last summer after we'd moved to a new home and I was in a new job with fewer hours.
The circumstances of your life are changing and sometimes that means your hobbies have to change along with them. At a later point in your life your circumstances will change again and you may want chickens again.
For me it was a job where I worked long hours -- for much of the year I left home just after sunrise and got home at dusk. I retired my in-town flock and didn't get more chickens until last summer after we'd moved to a new home and I was in a new job with fewer hours.
- Thread starter
- #11
Thank you for all the replies, the kid with the business is also quitting chickens do to the rising feed costs taking alot of the profits out of it. I live in an area where animals are valued well, most people would mean well when getting them but they don't all know what they are doing. I think I'm going to try facebook marketplace to sell the whole flock sometime this week or next week for a fair price. I got home at 9 today from work and all the chickens were penned up in the barn so I assumed whoever put them away had counted. 30 minutes later I went out to collect eggs and it was completely dark out. I counted and one was missing I have a broody that likes to make nests all around after she jumps my fence the first time she was gone for 5 days before she came back to get feed. The second time a found her within 5 minutes of looking in a place that they have layed eggs previously. Looked for an hour tonight and couldn't find anything. I have raccoons on trail camera and have had a fox on trail cam 2 months ago. I hope she makes it. These are the stresses I can't deal with right now.
- Thread starter
- #13
I agree with the others.
Another thing is that stopping now, while it is going well but it just makes sense given all the things you said, will make getting back into it a lot more enjoyable. If you ever wanted to get back into it.
Another thing is that stopping now, while it is going well but it just makes sense given all the things you said, will make getting back into it a lot more enjoyable. If you ever wanted to get back into it.
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