What do you do with your chickens when they are done laying?

[hockeygirl56]

My 6 have names and follow me around and ask for hugs...I am way too attached to eat or sell them. I plan to let them live out their lives and hopefully die from old age. I do worry what I'll do if someone gets sick though...I'm a vet tech so I want to fix everything...but there's not a lot of chicken treatments I've seen done bc most ppl do keep them for financial reasons and putting money into a sick bird makes no sense for them. Also my husband will only let me go so far (he already refers to each egg as a $100 egg bc we just built their coop this year...but they're each laying 5-7 eggs/wk, so the price per egg is rapidly decreasing!

I do know that if it comes down to one suffering that I can't fix, I will be euthanizing at work bc I could never do it any other way.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

We convert our old layers into Chicken Noodle Soup. The old hens are good for making chicken stock and make a nice base for the soups and stews.

Jim

 

[vclark321]

I got my girls for the eggs first and then fertilizer second. They are pets and keep me entertained for hours. They can stay til they die. I keep the eggs or give to family and friends. I'll take what they give and when they slow down egg production I am okay with that.

 

[CarolJ]

I couldn't process my first set of hens. There are only 7 in the first set anyway. I'm not as attached to my second (8 chicks) or third (18 chicks) sets. So when they age past their usefulness as layers, breeders & brooders, I will probably sell them or give them away. I have read about how to process a bird - and I've watched the videos, but I'm not sure I could do it. That first set, though - they're here for keeps. I'll set up a hen retirement coop for them.

 

[gophert]

Mine are primarily there for eggs, but we do love on 'em, too. At the same time, I am not sure I can afford to feed a lot of nonlaying chickens. We'll see. I have a lot of friends with chickens and we've discussed "trading" birds that are done laying--you eat mine and I'll eat yours (I don't think I could eat my own).

 

[Aves]

Mine stay until they die of old age or other issues. I seem to lose some every year, but then again I have a flock of over 50, and yes, all with names. I do get new pullets each year so that I have plenty of eggs to sell and eat and then I am not concerned about the old girls not laying as much.

Aves

 

[ECBW]

My father-in-law has offered to cull the old birds when the time comes. He has a few recipes ready to go.

 

[Pele]

This is a question that I will be facing in a couple of years myself, since I have a small property and limited space. I hope that life will treat us well and that we will be able to move to a bigger property, where I can build a 'retirement coop'.

However, if we stay where we are, I will process the hens that I am not attached to, and keep the two that I really like. The two are more like pets, and the others are more stand-offish.

Then there's scenario 3: I win the lottery, become fabulously wealthy, and create chicken mansions for my exclusive and rare line of birds that I breed ^_^

 

[Bird Collector]

All 22 of my babies will have a place until they pass. The eggs are a bonus. I so enjoy them walking in and out of my work shed talking to me pooping on the floor and leaving because they did not get a treat. They are so happy go lucky and make me laugh. So we will age together.

 

[Desirai]

I don't have chickens yet but I've already thought about this.

I plan to raise mine as my pets. Eggs are the bonuses. They will not be gotten rid of or sold or eaten. They will live til old age, peacefully and safely in my backyard. :}