when to replace flock to keep production high

[mommy9994]

my first 2 girls will live out thier lives here. My 5 year old light brahma we call "yard decoration" LOL she occasionally lays a goofy egg that winds up (generally) in the compost heap. The 2 year old bsl still lays more days than not.

The rest are nearing laying age, I will prolly buy some more in the Spring, and start selling some of the older girls in Spring 2010. I can sell them for around $10 in the Spring. People are wanting hens that are already laying then. I sell mine privately through a weekly paper and/or craigslist. I've not had any problem selling-- they've all gone to private homes, not commercial (unless they were lying). I've found that people tend to want a particular breed-- mostly this year have been rir and barred rock ("they look like dominikers, right?"). I think I'm going to sell my last 2 rir pullets-- they are more agressive than I like.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

We purchase a new set of chicks each year to replace our hens that we purchased the previous year. We are setup at a one flcok production so we don't have the housing for separate flocks and with the high costs of feed we want to produce eggs as efficiently and economically as possible.

We will be looking closely at a comparison between a one-year replacement and keeping the flock after their first molt.

Jim