what age do hens become infertile?

[ChickenLove6]

I have a welsummer hen and I really want to hatch some of her eggs. She's still laying but she's about 6/7 years old. Will her eggs still be able to produce a chicks? Thanks for any advice

 

[Stiggy]

I'm not 100% but I would think that as long as the rooster is doing his job and not shooting blanks, and the hen is laying ( complete eggs) then there should be a fertility level worth trying. though the hen will lay less eggs as she gets older so hatching them maybe more difficult

 

[ChickenLove6]

I'm not 100% but I would think that as long as the rooster is doing his job and not shooting blanks, and the hen is laying ( complete eggs) then there should be a fertility level worth trying. though the hen will lay less eggs as she gets older so hatching them maybe more difficult

Okay, Thankyou! I think I'll try incubating them in the summer

 

[red horse ranch]

I have a welsummer hen and I really want to hatch some of her eggs. She's still laying but she's about 6/7 years old. Will her eggs still be able to produce a chicks? Thanks for any advice

I have a 6 1/2 year old Australope who gave me a healthy chick a few months ago.
An old hen will lose a lot of her fertility but when paired with a young rooster the eggs have a good chance of hatching. And the same goes with an old rooster. When paired with a young hen, babies are very likely.
But an old hen with an old rooster probably will not produce chicks.

 

[ChickenLove6]

I have a 6 1/2  year old Australope who gave me a healthy chick a few months ago.
An old hen will lose a lot of her fertility but when paired with a young rooster the eggs have a good chance of hatching. And the same goes with an old rooster. When paired with a young hen, babies are very likely.
But an old hen with an old rooster probably will not produce chicks.

That's great! I have a rooster who is about 1 so hopefully it will work

 

[Stiggy]

Good luck with the breeding , it would be interesting to see/ know what your hatch rate is. Admittedly our hens once over 5 or so became 'retired' and were no longer used for breeding ( we had a special run for them in the orchard ) so I have no stats on our hatch rate for the older girls

 

[ChickenLove6]

Good luck with the breeding , it would be interesting to see/ know what your hatch rate is. Admittedly our hens once over 5 or so became 'retired' and were no longer used for breeding ( we had a special run for them in the orchard ) so I have no stats on our hatch rate for the older girls

Thankyou, I'll keep you posted when I go ahead with the hatch!

 

[George Michael]

Can bantams still breed over 5 years of age?