What do you do with your chickens????

[Fred's Hens]

This is a management decision. With light weight 300+ eggs per years production strains, there's very little meat, really. Sort of a soup stock and that's about it. Still, we have friends, who have large families, and they are not well-to-do. Feeding a family in this way is quite satisfying.

We turn over the production strains every 14-18 months. The more traditional breeds are welcome to stay as long as their production is reasonable, which we define as 240-250 eggs per year, or 4-5 eggs per week. With horrendous feed costs and going higher, we are personally in no position to feed poor layers. Again, these are management decisions that flock keepers must make.

 

[Miyashi]

I have 20...they are all pets...so no stew pots or Sunday dinners here.

They'll all have graves. I plan to take a couple of them with me when I move to be house chickens...see if they like it first of course, if not, bring them back to stay with my Mom in the country.

 

[Uniontown Poultry]

My 7-year old Delaware still lays a few eggs a week (like 2 - 3). My house is like an Old Hens' Retirement Home sometimes. I have one big ugly mutt EE-wannabe that I renamed "Freeloader," b/c I haven't seen her lay an egg or even go near the nest box in years. The Delaware (even if she stops laying) earns her keep as a "Chicken Ambassador." Our club does demonstration and educational events, and she is always a part of them b/c she is so gentle (she will undergo any indignity for some bread or a grape). If your old hens are even halfway nice, you might want to check with your local poultry club, as they might be interested in using them for educational things. Just a thought.

 

[Erin K]

We discussed this at length before getting ours. I was for eating them. I mean I eat chicken. The most kind way to eat meat I think would be to eat meat you took care of as an animal.

But in the end we decided we will keep them until they die of old age, falling gently off their perch. Then we will likely have a chicken funeral. They are pets. We could eat our cat, but we don't because she's a pet. My kids especially see the chickens the same way.

I wish I had the integrity to only buy free range birds for meat and eggs. I hate the idea of the factory meats we get. I'm hoping to make the switch as I cut my family's meat down.

During my still having chickens, but not having eggs time I will just buy eggs from another chicken person. Then when I'm out of chickens I'll buy chickens from her too!

 

[Patricia Jane]

I have mine for eggs as well as pets. They will be with me as long as they are on earth. I could no way cull my pets. I'll just set up a retirement home for them.

 

[welasharon]

Mine are here for life. My cat and dog don't lay eggs and I still feed them so I can do it for the chickens too...at least they lay some now. I expect mine to live a long time. I had a cat and a dog live to 22 years. My current dogs are 15 and so are a couple of the cats...mmmm that kinda makes me old doesn't it?!!!
sharon

 

[SycolinWoodsChickens]

We plan to keep ours as long as they are laying well. Approx 3-4 eggs per week. After that it's just not reasonable that I can afford to feed 30 birds that aren't laying. So we will cull as necessary.

We already process ducks and turkeys and our 'extra' roos. I love my hens but I've got to pay my bills too.

Bottom line, as the OP said, it's a management decision. If you have enough $$$ to pay for feed for 8 years or so for a heritage hen that may or may not be laying then go for it.

If you decide you need to cull for money or health reasons (not every bird dies quickly and naturally) then there are a lot of others who do that too.

 

[CluckCluck18]

Nope..they are staying no matter what. I have a friend that has a 10 year old hen that lays everyday! I'm praying for that

 

[SycolinWoodsChickens]

I have a friend that has a 10 year old hen that lays everyday!

Wow! What breed of hen is that? I could afford a few of those!

 

[JD4570]

I only send young roosters to freezer camp. My girls are kept till they usually go in their sleep then are given a proper burial . By the way I've had one hen laying eggs until she was almost eleven years old, although it was every third day, in which she went in her sleep. The old roosters I let go at their duties until they no longer can then they just become pets. They get the same burial as the girls do.

It is least I can do for all their service.