What do you do when your hens are past laying??

[Ridgerunner]

I think you are getting some pretty good responses. If I did not eat mine, they would not live to start with. I think they get a pretty good life around here. But we all have different goals and reasons to have chickens. Purely your personal choice.

 

[Niss]

Quote:
How true. The folks here seem to hit every step on the Livestock to Pet scale! Do what makes sence for your family and situation.

 

[old geezer]

----mine are here for the duration-----

--if they have names and haven't laid an egg in 7 yrs--so be it---

--if i wanted to have chickens for eating---they would be in a different pen--cared for with respect , but un-named , and knowing where their future is going ,........

..... but to each their own

 

[EatMorSteak]

I love me some fried chicken. Just not the ones that I raised, cared for, and enjoyed for years. Those to me are "pets" and my kids would be devastated.

 

[uncle rico]

I plan on replacing most of my hens at 2 yrs of age. My main purpose in keeping chickens was the egg production so I can't have old hens that only lay 2-3 eggs a week. I don't really consider my hens pets, although I understand others here think differently.

 

[shortstaque]

Doing an exchange is another alternative for those who eat meat and like to know where their food comes from and that it was raised in a happy an healthy environment, but don't want to eat something they raised themselves. You can process or hire someone to process a friends' birds, and they do yours. That way you don't have to think that it is Fluffy, Cluck and Henny Penny in the freezer, but you still can feel good about their source.

 

[Noymira]

I've been wondering about this myself. We are not to that point yet, our oldest chickens are 1 year old. Ours are not pets, we have not (and do not plan on) naming them. We are raising the hens primarily for the eggs, so I don't know that I would want to keep paying to feed hens that are past laying, unless I've got a special relationship with one.

We do plan on raising meat birds next year, but I've already wondered about what to do with the laying hens as they age. I'm still thinking on this one, just as I am torn about processing our own meaties vs. paying someone else to do it. My husband has told me if I want to process them myself he has no intention of helping, but he is a big softy and was raised in a farming family like I was.

So my answer is; I have no idea yet and hopefully don't have to worry about that for a few years, until after I've had more experience with chickens in general.

 

[Frizzle Farmer]

I think if they are your pets, you should keep take care of them their whole lives and provide them with care as they provide you with companionship. if the girls are living on a working farm, and they are to pull their weight, then they should be butchered. We raise some of our girls for meat, and its hard, but for every one we raise, there is one less chicken in a horrible factory farm.

 

[CluckCluck18]

I like the idea of living more sustainably, too but I don't think I have the guts to kill my chickens and I think it would bother me even if someone else did it also. So they will stay as sweet, laughable bug eating pets. I have a friend who does have a 10 year old chicken who does well and lays 3 or 4 times a week. I'm hoping for that.

 

[tuppence]

icould never eat one of my girls, they are my pets mylittle friends with thier ow personalitys i will keep them all until thier time comes