What do you do with a hen who is done laying?

[Lynette]

Ditto on the retirement home!

 

[oliviad51]

Do what you want..eating your hen is much better then most chickens that lived in commercial farms. BUT I do know that most chicken lovers (like me) Can't eat their own chickens...I had a couple roosters culled but I couldn't eat them myself..

 

[3rocksandme]

I am confused I guess on their laying years vs. living (retired) years. I only have two acres. If I keep retired ladies and layers will I get actually overrun with chickens? How long to Heritage Breeds lay for (usually)?

 

[PhilErvin]

I'm gonna subscribe to this topic cause I am curious as well. I fear that when the time comes I won't have the courage to kill these, my girls.

 

[justtoni44]

My experience is that they are all different..I have some old girls that still lay.
I understand if a person really does not have the room to keep them.but I see ads on CL
for older hens at $5.00..who's to say that would not be a perfect match for someone wanting a few eggs but unable to pay $20.00 or $30.00 for a younger one.
I have a 5 yr. old that lays 4 to 5 a week of the biggest eggs in the flock.
Personally, I am not young and a little sensitive on the subject....sure don't want to be culled because I do not produce like I use to

Good luck. remember.three years for a layer is not set in concrete..just an average.

 

[CMV]

Mahonri is right. Slow, moist cooking will turn an old used-up hen into a great, tender meal. The taste of an old laying hen can not be duplicated by using younger birds. They have a much finer flavor. You just need to be careful to cook them the right way or else they are tough and dry.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
IF you decide to end her life this way , I have another suggestion... 2 tablespoons of good vinegar poured down her throat each day for 4 days before butchering... kinda like live marinating?

... but I would vote for a retirement home/out to pasture!

 

[BrewedInNh]

Quote:
We haven't even gotten our first egg yet and my DW has informed me that they're pets and I'll be running a poultry retirement home.

I'm naively clinging to the notion that it's still open for negotiation.

 

[cobrien]

Quote:
Hmmm, seems like there are 4 of you in your house, I'd think 2 young hens (6 months to 2 years old) per person would lay more than enough eggs for the family. If you started with 8 chickens and got 8 more every 2 years for 40 years, you'd end up with 168 chickens at that time-if none of them died in 40 years. 2 acres is plenty!!

But plenty of them will die in 40 years of natural causes. Let's say half die, so you have 84 chickens. So you can get a few goats, too!

On a serious note, I based that math on what most people say - egg production drops to levels that make it not cost-effective to keep the hens after 1.5-2 years. Mine retire because for now I can afford it (and I'm vegetarian), but that's not the case for everyone. If you raise your own meat at least you know the animal was raised humanely, more than we can say for the factory meat in the stores This is really the hardest part of raising chickens...but worth it.

 

[atimme]

Make soup stock! Cook them and pick the meat, boil the rest with carrots, celery, and bay leaves and can in a mason jar. Instant chicken soup!