What to do with older laying hens???

[Mutt Farm]

First, WELCOME!

Good question. If you don't want to open a senior center for aged chickens in a few years, folks do different things. You are clear that these aren't pets, you're looking for high egg production. Best egg layers aren't good meat birds. You might want to research how long the best layers lay and do a little math for your bird selection. If you don't want to process them for your freezer, people will take them off your hands on CL or similar for theirs. Best of luck and welcome back to chickening.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I'll ask more specifically. Is there a reasonable market on Craigslist for say..., 3-4 year old hens?

Start your own NGO non profit and open a Raccoon Rescue service?????

Just kidding. There is really no "good" option as some of us define "good." However in a majority of the cases 4 plus year old hens kept casually and free ranged will solve this problem for you by either dying of old age or disease first or being killed by a predator.

 

[LaPineEggs]

I have a decent CL market for them here. I usually change my birds out at the end of their second year (hatched in say spring 2015, start laying in Oct 2015, lay through until Oct 2016, molt and take a break for the winter, start laying again in spring 2017, are scheduled to molt and take a break again around October 2017) but before they stop laying. In the example in parentheses, I'd start selling those birds in late July or August 2017, while they're still laying so the new owner gets some eggs before they take a break for the winter. For 2 year old birds I charge $10 and don't have much problem getting that.

I'd say check your local CL from time to time and see what's advertised there, and what the prices are. You don't always have to go with what other folks are charging, though. I have folks selling birds at insane low prices....point of lay pullets for $7.....but I hold my prices firm and always sell my birds, sometimes it just takes a week or so.

With your user neme, LaPine--is that LaPine, Oregon? Central Oregon has a thriving backyard chicken population so selling hens shouldn't be a problem there.

Yes, La Pine Oregon. We are not there yet..., but soon. The house and property we are buying is almost to the final closing process. We are currently down in the Valley in McMinnville where I have lived my whole life. I'm glad to know there are many backyard chicken owners among the rural communities surrounding La Pine, thanks for that info!

 

[donrae]

There's a Central Oregon Poultry Swap, I think it's once a year in the late spring/early summer. You might check google it, swaps can be a great place to sell birds.

 

[aart]

I ate several of mine this year, the 3 year olds, and traded the 2 year olds for some meat chickens ready to butcher.
Might have kept the 2 yos, but am short on space and have other breeding goals, was glad they could be productive elsewhere.