What do you do with your hens when they stop laying??

[ginbart]

I give mine to the neighbor. They have 3 girls and most of the time one or the other one is layed off. So if I can give them a couple of meals I'm happy to do it. I only do that because I can't eat a chicken I have raised from an egg and I can only feed chickens if I can sell the eggs.

 

[Maximus]

Quote:
Me to.

 

[greenSearcher]

Quote:
Here is the begining of an article I copied, it is 5 pages, but I have included the title and author in the quote if you wish to look it up.

"Rediscovering Traditional Meats from Historic Chicken Breeds

Article Published in the ALBC Newsletter, by Gina Bisco


The chicken meat most of us take for granted today is quite different from what our grandparents experienced. Today commercial chicken meat production is very different from methods and ideas common before the mid-20th century. Those of us who want to conserve old chicken breeds need to understand the traditional chicken meat classes and their excellent cooking qualities.

There are 4 traditional chicken meat classes: broiler, fryer, roaster and fowl. The traditional broiler age range was from 7 to 12 weeks, and carcass weight from 1 to 2 1/2 lbs. (Squab broilers would be youngest and smallest of these, typically Leghorn cockerels about 3/4 to 1 pound dressed.) The next age and weight group was called the fryer. Traditional fryer age range was from 14 to 20 weeks, and carcass weight from 2 1/2 to 4 lbs. Traditional roaster age range was from 5 to 12 months, and carcass weight from 4 to 8 pounds. Most roasters were butchered between 6 and 9 months. Hens and roosters 12 months and older were called "fowl" or "stewing fowl" signifying that slow moist cooking methods were required. "

 

[greenSearcher]

I haven't reached the point where my girls have quit laying, and I don't know if I could harvest them. I am struggling to harvest the excess cockerels, I just can't make myself cut their throat, despite having culled mean roosters and sick hens with the broomstick method. Guess I could try that on a cockerel for food.

 

[stargirl]

Mine are pets with benefits, so they've got a safe retirement ahead of them here. Obviously am planning on them being those miraculous 12-year-old laying types though

 

[Jay1105]

Fire up the grill! Just kidding!

 

[klmclain1]

Quote:
Here is the begining of an article I copied, it is 5 pages, but I have included the title and author in the quote if you wish to look it up.

"Rediscovering Traditional Meats from Historic Chicken Breeds

Article Published in the ALBC Newsletter, by Gina Bisco


The chicken meat most of us take for granted today is quite different from what our grandparents experienced. Today commercial chicken meat production is very different from methods and ideas common before the mid-20th century. Those of us who want to conserve old chicken breeds need to understand the traditional chicken meat classes and their excellent cooking qualities.

There are 4 traditional chicken meat classes: broiler, fryer, roaster and fowl. The traditional broiler age range was from 7 to 12 weeks, and carcass weight from 1 to 2 1/2 lbs. (Squab broilers would be youngest and smallest of these, typically Leghorn cockerels about 3/4 to 1 pound dressed.) The next age and weight group was called the fryer. Traditional fryer age range was from 14 to 20 weeks, and carcass weight from 2 1/2 to 4 lbs. Traditional roaster age range was from 5 to 12 months, and carcass weight from 4 to 8 pounds. Most roasters were butchered between 6 and 9 months. Hens and roosters 12 months and older were called "fowl" or "stewing fowl" signifying that slow moist cooking methods were required. "

Excellent information! Yes, I remember my grandmother's fried chicken - it was the best. She always started with a 2 1/2 pound chicken! YUM

 

[sassifrassi]

Quote:
Me to.

Ditto!
My girls are Karma chickens. For all the eggs and meat I've eaten unknowingly from factory farms throughout my life. I will spoil them until their natural end.

 

[chicken grandma]

I have had 10 chickens over 11 years. All died naturally between 5 and 7 years except for one who was injured and we had the vet put her down. The older ones layed sporadically but we indulged them all til they passed.

 

[LindsaySinai]

I guess it all depends. My ugliest hen is the nicest and runs up to me and squats down and does a little dance til I pet her...I can't imagine getting rid of her. I got her from my aunt and in the beginning I kept considering trading her in due to her looks...now her ugliness is endearing. But...the mean ones, it would definitely be a consideration. One of the easter eggers pecks, and not in a nice way, whenever a hand comes anywhere near her. Not ideal to have with a house of two kids and one on the way.