When is to old to lay?

[Wyo Chick]

My brother has built his first coop and a man offered him chickens. The chickens are 3.5 years old. Are they too old to lay?What questions should he ask? Thank You!

 

[Ridgerunner]

It can vary quite a bit by hen, but chickens have their most productive years the first two, then they drop on an average of 15% of production every year. I'd expect them to lay maybe 60% to 70% of what a young hen at her peak would lay. Next year it would be less.

The questions I'd ask are about diseases, have they been wormed or treated for lice or mites recently, and why he wants to get rid of them. I suspect they are not laying enough eggs considering the price of the feed he is feeding them.