What age do chickens stop laying???

[mrballance]

I have a very diverse flock but keep tract of my lines. Some birds of the same line even slow at different rates.

G001, B002, and B003 are my prime examples as they are all directly related (linebred sisters). They never have light supplement. I have, however, upped their vitamins and minerals since I don't trust TSC's grain to be "fresh". Since doing that I have gotten more eggs out of the old gals but nothing else is different in their routine.

"G1" aka Gin, is pretty much as slow as it can go for a weekly egg rate, at 1 a week if I am lucky. Maybe 2 during good weather/seasonal. She is 6 years old.

"B2" Agnus, is the same as Gin. She is about 5.5 years old.

"B3" Berdeth however is 8 years old and giving 3+ eggs a week, sometimes daily during spring/summer. She is 8 years old. Now, I'd consider that unusual, but taken that opportunity to breed her and her lines to get that longevity. The first hens showed good promise at laying near daily or taking after G1 and B2 and being heavy seasonal layers. Berdeth shows no signs of slowing down. In fact I got one of the biggest eggs she has laid today.

I've retained some of B3's chicks to see if they have the same life span of laying. The problem is, of course, it will take me 8 years to find out!

If it matters, these birds lay a Medium size egg.


The other lines are EE lines. They are coming 3 and are seasonally heavy layers (daily) and stop all together in the winter except perhaps 1 or 2 a month. They lay very large eggs and are large enough that I would consider them dual purpose. I expect them to lay well at least until 5 or 6 years old.

Ok, I don't know who is laying what. I see a hen or two in the nest box here and there but not all the time. Do you have a camera on the nest boxes or what ? How do you know ?

 

[ChickenRose]

Well, let me clarify, we only have 8 laying age hens. I'll have to see how they lay this year. The old leghorn would probably not be considered a layer. The old Ideal Ameraucana EE will probably not lay much this year but I'm hatching her eggs. She may have some leghorn in her. The group I got her in had some hens with white earlobes but all had wavy pea type small combs and muff and beards.She is the only survivor. This is a pet flock with limited breeding in mind.

 

[SparrowHawkFarm]

We used to own a cross breed hen that was about 7-8 years old and she laid a lot of blue eggs! I have a 5 year old Rhode island red that still lays but this last year she laid smaller ones and one about twice the size of a robin egg!

 

[CSWolffe]

My three year old RIR is still a laying machine!
I am only allowed a rather limited number of hens in my municipality, 5 based on my lot size(well 4, but I'm interpreting the SQ FT kind liberally...). I know most hens decrease productivity as they age, and so I've planned my flock accordingly. Each year we get a selection of chicks, and keep only our favorite of the bunch, selling the other pullets to cover feed costs. At the moment, I have the 3 year old RIR, a two year old Wellsummer, and a one year old EE we will be keeping, and two 'extra' EEs that will find homes when I get my Marans eggs this spring, and NEXT year an Olive Egger.
Gives me a nice, colorful basket, a flock of mostly heritage hens, and as the old ones die off and get replaced, I just keep rotating in new, productive layers.

 

[lungewhipqueen]

I have a few older RIR hens... 3+ years and they lay great for me in the warmer months. They stopped this winter and so far, the younger girls have begun the laying now that the days are starting to get longer. I'm hoping the reds will pick it up again. I'm trying to really pay attention on the days that I'm home. I want to hatch eggs from the older girls who are still laying regularly and see if I can propagate an egg laying flock. Not just dual purpose or meat birds. Specifically egg layers with long laying lives. For those of us who get attached to our birds but need a 'reason' to keep them around after their productive years have passed.

 

[broodyhen2]

I am getting my first hens at market tomorrow
I would prefer heritage breeds as they lay for longer how long does anyone know? And how long with hybrids lay for
Thanks

 

[Malaurie]

Mine are right at 2, and 5 hens are laying 4 eggs regularly now.

 

[Sjisty]

We have a bantam unknown breed hen who is around 8 years old and lays every day. She does tend to go broody every 3 months or so and is a great mom, but then goes right back to laying after her chicks are about 6 weeks old. Our two Jersey Giants are also laying daily, and they are almost 8 years old.

We have quite a few Brahmas 6 to 8 years old. Most of them lay 3 to 4 times a week, although 2 of them lay very occasionally.

We have a flock of about 35 chickens total. The main flock is getting up there in age. They seem happy and healthy and we are getting around 15 to 18 eggs daily (more in the summer), which I feel is pretty good considering out of 30 girls (5 roos), a good 2 dozen of them are pretty old.

 

[CSWolffe]

I am getting my first hens at market tomorrow
I would prefer heritage breeds as they lay for longer how long does anyone know? And how long with hybrids lay for
Thanks

Production breeds are bred for little else, these are Sex Links like Red Stars, Gold Comets, Black Stars, etc, and even While Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Australorps.

Dual Purpose breeds are good for long term laying, they are not as productive but also don't 'burn out' early, Wyandottes and Orpingtons are a great example. Dual Purpose tend to be chubby little hens, as they are bred for meat as well as eggs.

Hermitage breeds are bred to maintain the breed and not egg production, these are Wellsummers, Barnevelders, New Hampshire Reds, Polish, Hampburg, Sussex, Cornhish, Swedish Flower hens.

Easter Eggers are great back yard hens, they are not the most productive layers, which also means they tend to lay longer; they are smaller birds, good foragers, great personality.

For the record, my current flock consists of a hatchery RIR, a Wellsummer, and three EEs. Next year I hope to add a Marans. We've had Gold Stars and Australorps and loved both, and a lovely fat and sassy Wyandotte. And I've been happy with each and every breed. The only hen I didn't care for was a Dominque that was supposed to be a Cuckoo Marans, she was far too flightly.

 

[pidgejr]

My girl will be 4 in April & she slowed down this past summer into fall. She laid 2 bad eggs (soft shells) at the end of November & the end of December & that's been it. Perhaps she's in Henopause.

Oh that was so funny, i almost fell on the floor. Henopause!! :-D