What do you do with chickens that are done laying eggs?

[Rozzie]

Well, when I had chickens, the ladies (and gents) lived out their time in retirement. In truth, they kept right on laying, though eggs came less often. I don't think I ever had one completely quit laying. You'll probably have a % lost every year due to various natural causes. So, by the time they get older, you won't be feeding the entire flock anyway.

Another option would be to pen the older birds that are no longer producing as many eggs (but are semi-pets living out retirement) a cheaper diet. Of course, you'd need to pen them separately.

Honestly? I have quail now, and even the older birds will live out their retirement. They are helping feed me. I'll feed them in return. It's a trade off that I'm happy with. It's worth it to me even if they only produce eggs every 2-3 days (I have one girl that way now -- 1-2 eggs a week.)

 

[luvchicks8]

retired hen house here

 

[Princess Poppycock]

Friends are not food.

They just retire.

 

[MakNugget]

Quote:
Production drops about 20% yearly. That's one reason many choose to cull after 2 years. I'm limited to the number of chickens I can have so while I would love to have my girls around forever, I would also like a steady flow of eggs as well. Can't have both, so there's a good chance some may be culled and some may stick around. Either way they are/will be appreciated, probably more so than my human counterparts that can't be culled, LOL.

http://professorchicken.webs.com/eggsandmanure.htm

 

[MOChickenz]

Ours will either be sold off at a swap or be eaten. Ours are not pets.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I am definitely not seeing an annual 20% drop in production in my chickens. I've seen an annual 10% drop quoted most often. Most days I am still getting an egg a day from my 3 1/2 year olds.

I've begun to wonder about the averages that get posted about the slowing of laying, as generalities. I never worried about it much, but I don't think any of my flocks have had the same drop in production that gets written about. I'm guessing they did studies on hybrids that were fed a crappy cost effective feed, not an optimal diet. There's a huge difference between feeding for the cheapest commercial egg and feeding for the healthiest chicken possible, laying the healthiest egg.

Besides diet, so much has to do with genetics. It's great to make plans, but you really need to make decisions based on your actual flock, not the flock you plan for on paper. What you get can be quite different.

 

[davidinvt]

When I used to travel to Mexico with my wife (now, sadly, my ex-wife), she would always order HEN soup, not chicken soup, as the Mexican women believe that hen soup is especially nutritious and good for a woman's health. Here on the farm in Vermont, I have had a few regular Asian customers over the years, and they always ask to buy the oldest hen from me. I kill them humanely, and then the women, they have always been women, will pluck and dress the bird at home. Without fail, they ask for the feet, and why not? They make the absolute best chicken stock in the world. My ex-wife would clip the toenails of the bird, scrub the feet of every last speck of dirt, then scald them and peel the skin off. The feet would then be simmered into a heavenly stock. Me, I just give them a quick scrub and toss them into the pot. After simmering them for a good length of time I then pour off the stock, leaving a bit of dirt and crud, feet and skin, on the bottom of the pot, which of course goes to the pigs or the compost pile. But, alas, there are no shortcuts for the daughter of a traditional Mexican woman. I can see how in the old days, and in some places even today, Latin women literally spent the entire day in the kitchen. My point, however, is that in almost every traditional culture that has chickens, the old hens are greatly appreciated for their flavor, nutrition, and health giving properties, and not viewed as a waste product to be disposed of.

 

[Uzuri]

Seconding the chicken-foot stock here. Made my own about a month ago... heavenly good stuff, if you can handle seeing a pot of feet just simmering there. Had to do it when the rest of the family was away XD

 

[tedabug]

Quote:
A retirement coop. Love it! I don't love my existing coop now, so mine will retire in their good 'ole home and my next flock will get a new coop. Wish I had the stomach to eat them, but they are little buddies at this point! We're lucky to have so much room in the city.

 

[Scooter&Suzie]

Quote:
Why not try to keep them until their time comes? As other members have said, they will die of natural causes. If you free range your chickens, they can eat mostly what is out there, grass, bugs, etc. If they feed you for a few years, why not feed them for a few years?