When to cull old hens??

[Mosey2003]

I have an off-brand Instant Pot, and for older birds I set it at the highest pressure and the highest time it will go, something like 80 minutes?

 

[Banditschickens]

 

[Noellereagan]

they have provided food for you in the form of eggs almost their whole life; it would be pretty ungrateful to kill them as soon as they stop! they have laid eggs for you (not an easy thing; that's like having a baby every day), and as soon as they stop, you kill them? be grateful for what they have done for you!

Hey, you: don't get triggered over this comment. Live and let live.

I like this. A lot.

 

[Eggscaping]

Actually, yes, at high pressure(15psi) that's pretty close...can depend on the type of bean.

I got this in my inbox today, about kidney beans and pressure cooking. I hadn't heard it before. Any knowledge on this, Aart?

Cooking dried beans in a slow cooker is incredibly convenient. Just throw them in with a bit of a broth and several hours later you'll be rewarded with some creamy and tender legumes. But if you try this method with red kidney beans, you risk giving yourself a severe case of food poisoning.
According to research from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), red kidney beans contain high levels of a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) that causes extreme nausea, severe vomiting, and sometimes abdominal pain.
PHA is present in red kidney beans that are still partially raw from undercooking, or haven't been heated to a safe temperature to destroy the toxin.
Red Kidney Bean Poisoning, as it's named by the FDA, has a rapid onset and the severity of symptoms is related to the amount of contaminated beans that are consumed. White kidney beans, by comparison, have only around one-third the toxin amount that red kidney beans contain.

While this information may sound scary, it shouldn't stop you from enjoying kidney beans. All you need to do is use the simple method below to ensure that what you're cooking is safe for you and your family.
How to Safely Prepare Dried Red Kidney Beans
These instructions follow the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's recommendations:

1. Soak - Raw kidney beans need to soak in water for at least five hours.
2. Boil - Drain the beans and change to a fresh pot of water. Bring to a boil (212°F) for a minimum of 10 minutes.
3. Prepare - Once you've followed the previous two instructions, your kidney beans are no longer toxic and can finish cooking in whatever method you prefer, such as in a slow cooker or on the stove top.

 

[Ms Clucky]

You should still have a plan in place for if/when one becomes injured beyond saving or sick beyond saving. It's better to plan ahead than to be scrambling while a bird suffers.

I do. I had to put two hens out of their misery. One brown/red {Windy} that her legs were so broken from fighting with the chicks to get on the roost when they were small and one white hen { Marshmellow } I really don't know what happened to her. She just quit eating and couldn't stand up. Her little feet and face were purple like she had something stuck in her crawl. I had to put them both down. I buried them in my garden along with my Blue Silkie hen, Dusty and my Mille Fluer hen Flo. Also, my two dogs, Pookie and Sissy. I miss them all very much. I buried Peep in a different spot so I could bury his girlfriend when she goes. Hopefully that won't be for a very long time.

 

[aart]

An update to this thread. I ended up selling the hens instead of culling them.

A year + later
Glad you found a solution, it's been a great discussion and will continue to be so.