When to retire?

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

Ok so I’ve been told to retire egg producers at 2 years. Because at 2 years their production goes down 30%. Let’s just say I’m viewing from a business standpoint. Not from the standpoint that they are my pets, even though each one gets to be coddled and held for 5-10 minutes each day and fed treats/seeds and hanging broccoli, and it might be hard to retire them and get new producers.


Is that 24 months after they first start producing eggs or 24 months from birth?

 

[azygous]

Commercial hens' age is tracked from hatch. It's pretty standard that commercial egg operations "retire" two year-old layers. However, these hens still have at least two more years of regular laying in them. Here's a good article on the subject. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/egg-laying-hens_n_59c3c93fe4b0c90504fc04a1

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

Sad days! It is what it is. One reason I’m trying to raise the food I put on my table. And teach my family Life and love and why

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I, personally cycle 1/2 of my flock annually. Starting from scratch....an entire flick of chicks started spring 1-the following spring chicks are started to replace at least 1/2.....by late summer new pullets start laying, 1/2 of older birds are sold. New layers lay through winter while remaining older birds molt and take time off. I. Spring it starts over and that fall oldest birds cycle out at end of their second laying cycle approximately 30 months of age.....lather, rinse, repeat. The first and second laying cycles are the most productive....(quality and quantity generally decrease with subsequent cycles) ..but those birds sold off after the second cycle have enough laying ahead of them to have value to potential buyers and I maximize the productivity of my flick (important to me as I am limited on # of birds I can keep and have them for eggs first, pets second)

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ok so I’ve been told to retire egg producers at 2 years. Because at 2 years their production goes down 30%. Let’s just say I’m viewing from a business standpoint. Not from the standpoint that they are my pets, even though each one gets to be coddled and held for 5-10 minutes each day and fed treats/seeds and hanging broccoli, and it might be hard to retire them and get new producers.


Is that 24 months after they first start producing eggs or 24 months from birth?

There is a basic fallacy in your concept when you are dealing with your numbers. If you had 5,000 hens in a commercial production hen house you would track the number and quality of eggs produced. You would know from tracking when production dropped below profitable numbers. Then you would have a decision to make, do you replace them with pullets or force them to molt and feed them through that molt to get the next laying season's production. You would base that decision on their history and your experience. You would know, on average, how much a flock of 5,000 hens' production would drop after that molt. It is purely a business decision, no emotions involved but based on profitability. You would have charts and graphs telling you what to do and when to do it. They don't do it by a calendar, they do it by productivity.

I can't remember exactly how many chickens you have but it is a small handful. It is certainly not 5,000. Some individual may lay like gangbusters, some may be fairly poor layers. Some will drop off quite a bit after an adult molt, some hardly at all. Averages mean a lot in a flock of 5,000. They don't mean much in a flock if 5.

I don't know where your 30% number came from. Do you have a link, it might be interesting to read that in context. I typically see numbers in the range of 15% to 20% but context can be important. Hens typically lay about equally well before and after their first adult molt. Their first adult molt is the first molt after they start to lay, whether it occurs one month or 16 months after they start laying.

After their second adult molt production typically declines. For a flock of 5,000 fairly dramatically, between 15% or 30% depending on which source you use. The breed or heritage of the commercial laying hen may make a difference. For an individual it could be not at all or it could be a lot more dramatic than 30%. I cannot tell you what any any one individual will do.

If you are looking at a time to plan when to replace them based purely on productivity I'd suggest when they enter their second adult molt. (Some people are happy to wait for the start of their third adult molt. That may still be plenty of eggs for their purposes.) A pullet hatched in the spring of 2018 will typically have her first adult molt in the fall of 2019, maybe at 15 to 21 months of age. She will typically start her second adult molt in the fall of 2020, maybe at 27 to 33 months of age.

In this case of a spring hatched hen, if you butcher her or sell her at 24 months you have probably just fed her through her first adult molt and she is settling in for a good season of great egg laying. That's the risk of following an inflexible schedule without taking account of any other factors or basing it on what you see. You don't always make good decisions.

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

I have 13 pullets and 2 cockerels. 1 cockrel and 5 pullets born in January,
5 pullets born in June, and 3 pullets born in sept/october.

I see that I’ve asked a question too early and inaccurately... hmm. Well, the information is still good to know.
I appreciate it! Thanks

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I have a 3-year-old hen that is laying strong still. I think that it will vary with breed, age, and the hen that you are talking about. I would say, it is your decision as if you think she is a strong layer still then keep her, if she isn't, I would do whatever you want to do with her. In the end, it is your call on her productivity.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There is a basic fallacy in your concept when you are dealing with your numbers. If you had 5,000 hens in a commercial production hen house you would track the number and quality of eggs produced. You would know from tracking when production dropped below profitable numbers. Then you would have a decision to make, do you replace them with pullets or force them to molt and feed them through that molt to get the next laying season's production. You would base that decision on their history and your experience. You would know, on average, how much a flock of 5,000 hens' production would drop after that molt. It is purely a business decision, no emotions involved but based on profitability. You would have charts and graphs telling you what to do and when to do it. They don't do it by a calendar, they do it by productivity.

I can't remember exactly how many chickens you have but it is a small handful. It is certainly not 5,000. Some individual may lay like gangbusters, some may be fairly poor layers. Some will drop off quite a bit after an adult molt, some hardly at all. Averages mean a lot in a flock of 5,000. They don't mean much in a flock if 5.

I don't know where your 30% number came from. Do you have a link, it might be interesting to read that in context. I typically see numbers in the range of 15% to 20% but context can be important. Hens typically lay about equally well before and after their first adult molt. Their first adult molt is the first molt after they start to lay, whether it occurs one month or 16 months after they start laying.

After their second adult molt production typically declines. For a flock of 5,000 fairly dramatically, between 15% or 30% depending on which source you use. The breed or heritage of the commercial laying hen may make a difference. For an individual it could be not at all or it could be a lot more dramatic than 30%. I cannot tell you what any any one individual will do.

If you are looking at a time to plan when to replace them based purely on productivity I'd suggest when they enter their second adult molt. (Some people are happy to wait for the start of their third adult molt. That may still be plenty of eggs for their purposes.) A pullet hatched in the spring of 2018 will typically have her first adult molt in the fall of 2019, maybe at 15 to 21 months of age. She will typically start her second adult molt in the fall of 2020, maybe at 27 to 33 months of age.

In this case of a spring hatched hen, if you butcher her or sell her at 24 months you have probably just fed her through her first adult molt and she is settling in for a good season of great egg laying. That's the risk of following an inflexible schedule without taking account of any other factors or basing it on what you see. You don't always make good decisions.

Excellent write up as usual.
The good doctor (OP) hasn't noted what breed/s he has. That will be a critical factor in the discussion. If consistent egg production is important, one must choose consistently productive breeds.
That wouldn't include silkies, cochins, brahmas, houdans, games, nankins, etc..
Instead, perhaps get some egg hybrids or if wanting heritage breeds, I'd choose RIRs, Leghorns, Minorcas, Dominiques, Anconas, Australorps, Hamburgs, Redcaps, Sussex, Jaerhons, Fayoumis, Plymouth Rocks, etc..

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Excellent write up as usual.
The good doctor (OP) hasn't noted what breed/s he has. That will be a critical factor in the discussion. If consistent egg production is important, one must choose consistently productive breeds.
That wouldn't include silkies, cochins, brahmas, houdans, games, nankins, etc..
Instead, perhaps get some egg hybrids or if wanting heritage breeds, I'd choose RIRs, Leghorns, Minorcas, Dominiques, Anconas, Australorps, Hamburgs, Redcaps, Sussex, Jaerhons, Fayoumis, Plymouth Rocks, etc..

Well said!

 

[FnWeirdo]

I've been thinking about this lately as well. although my thought process was to do 2 years life cycle for laying hens ( not breed stock of course) i came up with 2 years because the older they are the tougher the meat. figured id still get some good stew meat out of them if i go 2 years. and still give them an opportunity to lay eggs and enjoy life a bit first. but im still figuring out raising chickens so ill go with what makes sense and works at the end lol