What do y'all do with older hens?

[MysteryChicken]

We process our old lady hens. They make good soup.

 

[bluemerle]

Weird to see people think of chickens who have stopped laying due to natural causes "free loaders": your eggs don't come from a machine, they come from a breathing, living animal who at the very least deserve some modicum of respect. Stagger your hatches as you need them & you will have less of a problem of having to feed a ton of older birds.

 

[Folly's place]

I value my older birds for the experience and flock management skills that they have, and especially any that are broody hens. Not everyone stays forever, but many do, and I have the space to take care of them.
If I wanted a commercial 'all in, all out' operation, it would be different. But that's not happening here!
Mary

 

[MROO]

I know all you chicken addicts want to get new chickens every year. This becomes a problem later on because you will still have some of your older hens that have stopped laying.

I want to know what y'all do in this case. Do you process older hens? what do you do if you get attached?

"I will hug them and love them and squeeze them and call them George!"

 

[lomine]

Weird to see people think of chickens who have stopped laying due to natural causes "free loaders": your eggs don't come from a machine, they come from a breathing, living animal who at the very least deserve some modicum of respect. Stagger your hatches as you need them & you will have less of a problem of having to feed a ton of older birds.

I give my chickens and ducks the best life I can. They have five acres to roam. They spend their days chasing bugs, scratching grass, dust bathing, or just sleeping in the the shade of a tree. They always have food and clean water. They get treats. They are protected from the elements and predators. I care about my birds. Some have earned a lifelong spot but most will not. When their time is done they get a quick death and their flesh nourishes my family. The birds are livestock to me but that doesn't mean I don't see them as living beings. I have a huge amount of appreciation for what they have given me and my family.

 

[CaramelKittey]

I let my hens live out their days safely at home. I don’t know of anybody nearby I could give them too, and we have plenty of space at our house. My two oldest girls (both 8 years old) don’t lay anymore, but it is still fun to watch them forage around hunting for bugs. I love them.

 

[Willowspirit]

I was going along liking everyone’s practices because we all get to do what’s best for us and what we judge is best for our flocks. I believe right now I could use a couple more pullets to make sure everyone is warm enough on the roost!

I’m hoping that I can live long enough to see my birds grow old. I think of them as pets. I don’t expect puppies from my pet dogs or foals from my horses, so as much as I love getting eggs I don’t mind too much if they don’t lay.

My intention is to add more laying birds maybe even soon. But certainly to add a few chicks in the Spring. And then I have those hatching eggs in the incubator and who knows what will happen. Maybe we will get a rooster we could kill and eat.

Thanks to everyone on this thread. It just reminds me what a great group of people lives here.

 

[Kadu]

I give my chickens and ducks the best life I can. They have five acres to roam. They spend their days chasing bugs, scratching grass, dust bathing, or just sleeping in the the shade of a tree. They always have food and clean water. They get treats. They are protected from the elements and predators. I care about my birds. Some have earned a lifelong spot but most will not. When their time is done they get a quick death and their flesh nourishes my family. The birds are livestock to me but that doesn't mean I don't see them as living beings. I have a huge amount of appreciation for what they have given me and my family.

thank you, yes, this is what I was thinking too. Everyone does what is best for them, and I just wanted to see what y’all were doing. I don’t think people process their older hens for fun, I think these people have a lot of appreciation for these animals, and for the food they’re eating. Having chickens as pets is one thing, for some, they’re livestock.

 

[aart]

I keep chickens for food, eggs and meat,
grown under better conditions than grocery food.
Egg sales pay for their feed.
No space or resources for keeping 'pet' birds, pet budget goes to my dog.
It's a hard balance, but that's where the Romance meets Reality.

I rotate my stock kind of based on winter space.
Neither I nor the birds like a crowded coop in winter.
I hatch chicks every year in late winter.
Cull (selling or gifting or slaughtering) all males by 14-16 weeks.
Older hens(~18-30mo) are culled before hard winter hits.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I respect your way of doing things too, @aart. I always find it so odd that people can be unhappy with people culling their animals, yet some of those same people often eat meat from the shops which was likely raised in far poorer conditions.

I don't eat much meat here anymore (in the UK) as the quality and welfare standard is so poor generally and good quality meat is somewhat cost-prohibitive (as it should be to an extent!). I have full respect for those who choose instead to eat animals or the produce of animals which they have raised themselves and which have been better looked after.