Out of seven pullets that are 21 weeks, two are laying. The RIR has been laying or a month, and the Plymouth Rock for 2 weeks. The eggs are generally still tiny. The RIR has laid a couple of regular sized eggs, but today was small. The Rock laid a big egg today, but it was a double yolker. The pullet that is 6 months old is showing no signs of wanting to lay. LOL
I don't think I could ever cull a healthy bird myself. If it was sick and suffering I could do it. DH has no problem at all culling one, but fortunately we have not had to do it yet. Currently I have about 3 baby cockerels that are going to have to go. I have no desire to eat my own chickens, so I'll probably take them to a place that will humanely cull them and feed them to birds of pray.
My flock is about the same age and seem to have started laying around the same time as yours.
Not only do we eat them but so do our ferrets, cats and dogs who all eat a raw diet. I think it's awesome that you would donate any you cannot keep or eat yourselves to a conservation establishment. I never thought of doing something like that, or even if you could.
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