When should I get rid of my hens ?

[Dustieburk]

At what age should I get rid of my hens ? And what is old for a chicken ?

 

[drumstick diva]

When you feel you don't want them anymore, why not try to re-home them? Some people like to take in older birds and give them a home. I think in your case age has nothing to do with it. If you don't want your hens NOW, someone saying that they have years left - really won't satisfy you.

 

[fosterson]

The answer, like so many related to chickens is, 'it depends'.

You don't have to get rid of your chickens. If they're pets a chicken can live to be 10 or more.
If your primary purpose for a chicken is getting eggs they continue to lay relatively reliably (though individual hens can vary) up to about 5...some breeds are better than others about this.
If you are selling eggs commercially, most hens experience a severe downswing in the number of eggs after about 3 years. Commercial battery hens are changed out as often as 18 months but that's really a bit excessive for backyard chickens.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! X3, it depends on what you have chickens for and how many eggs you need them to produce. Pets, people generally keep for life, some people on BYC have said they have had 14-15 year old chickens. Commercial egg layers, like fosterson said are usually replaced when they go into their second molt or around 90 weeks... most small layer flock owners will keep them a year or two longer before replacing them, but the general rule of thumb is a hen will lay about half the eggs at age five as she did at a year old. Heritage birds also tend to be kept longer, they don't lay as many eggs the first two years as the commercials, but they tend to lay a steadier number for more years and don't have as many health problem later in life.

 

[gander007]

 

[TwoCrows]

It all depends on why you are keeping them. If they are used for production, you can keep the hens until they slow down or stop laying and then butcher them. If you keep a rooster with your hens, you can keep this program going for as long as you keep poultry using broodies to keep the flock going. If you keep them for pets, you can keep them til death. Your question is a very personal one and only you can make this decision.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Dustieburk]

Well i got 9 chicks and after they are old enough i would like to get rid of my old hens .