When to get rid of older chickens

[sonew123]

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I like the way you think

x3!

 

[EweSheep]

I've got a four year old Wellie girls that lay just as good as the newbies does. It all depends on the breed as well.

Hopefully next year, I will give my oldest girls the retirement, keep my BEST ones for breeding and keeping their daughters. If they do not lay, I would cull them by selling them out.

 

[laughaha]

The older the chicken, the bigger the egg.....sure you don't get them as often, but the ones you get- WOWSER

 

[sonew123]

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yuppers!!!

 

[mamabigbird]

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I agree. Our first eleven red sex links all retired and died off one by one. A few were helped to ease their suffering but most just layed down and died peacefully. One still lives although she hasn't layed in the last year and she is so vital and youthful still. We've added birds a few at a time and have a batch of 8 wek olds. They are all pets first and livestock second. Otherwise I wouldn't bother to name them.

 

[tobin123]

I sell the layers at 1 and a half.i know they still lay good ,but at 2 a chicken slow down a little.just my opinon

 

[briteday]

Ours are not pets so we re-home them when laying slows down, generally around 2 years of age. I really notice the slowdown during their second winter, generally speaking.

The way you can tell if a hen has layed an egg recently is to check the pelvic bone spread. Pick up the chicken. Turn the chicken upside down by putting your fingers between its ankles, hold on tight, and turn over...holding on to the ankles. Then cradle the upside down chicken in your arm. Locate the vent. Then using your index and middle fingers spread flat, move your finger tips from the vent towards the tummy. Within an inch or so you should feel a pointy bone on each side of your fingers. If you can fit at least two fingers between the bones the bird has layed an egg within the last week or two (about?).

Mine don't seem to notice when some go away. They just rearrange the pecking and roosting order.

A bit too small but depending. If you have generally temperate weather and they are outside most of the time it's fine. Since I just put our new pullets in with the existing flock we have about 28 birds in an 8 x 10 shed. They do just fine. Just be sure you have enough room for everyone to get to the feeder and waterer so that the low ranking birds get their fair share. Also be sure you have enough roosting space for all of them.

 

[dipence71]

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yep or until I want to butcher some. I have my "pet" flock and my Meat flock and a mix flock right now and babies so we will see I have a 8x8 coop and a smaller 4x4 coop for the smaller ones the 40 big birds freerange all day and do fine at night in the 8x8 but I will be thinning before winter from my "meat flock". My original 12 are my "pet flock so they will be pets until they die or I get to the point of having to use them as a food source if something happens. But they are just like my dogs I feed them and just happen to get eggs but nothing from my dogs....