When to retire a laying hen.

[harvestmoonGal]

I have a few hens that are about to be 4 years old this spring. They haven't been laying as much this year but I think it will pick up this month or November hopefully. They are RIR, white Plymouth(I think that's what it's called), and Ida browns. I love them but I see no reason to let good meat to go waste( I know that sounds terrible but......) so what age do I need to "retire" them?

 

[AK Baha]

That is not terrible. Give thanks to the bounty.Time to get some new birds and harvest them sooner.

 

[Whittni]

Most people retire their hens at three years old. Yours may be too old to eat (waste of time to slaughter them), why not make them free range hens?

 

[harvestmoonGal]

I already have a new flock. They haven't laid yet but they should start real soon. If my old hens aren't going to lay I don't want to waste my money in feed to get nothing back. I love them and it would be really hard for me to kill them but I don't know what to do with them. This spring I plan on hatching some of my eggs, so I will have to many! Idk.

 

[Whittni]

Sell them as $5 hens to someone who'll just freerange them.

 

[harvestmoonGal]

I was thinking about growing my own feed for them. There is only 7 of them and I'm sure it won't take much, and I could build them a separate cage. So they won't eat the feed I buy. I just don't think I have the heart to eat them.