When your hens stop laying....

[chicks are life]

Mine stay after they are done laying and live a good life I only cull if they are sick dying and suffering. Mine are pets,egglayers,pure enjoyment and friends.you can earn money for feed and other expenses by selling extra eggs,hatching eggs,Roo's, or chicks.coops can be built onto or if you just start with a large coop and run there will be no problem of overrunning as long as you keep your numbers down.I buy or hatch 10 or so pullets for egglaying and get new roos if needed.

I'm not against culling I just have found a good system that works and provides me with enough eggs to not have to buy them.

 

[bobhoke]

What do you do? Keep them? Eat them? Mine are only 13 weeks old right now, but just wondering what everyone does. I can't imagine parting with my girls......but they were my first ever chickens, so that's probably why.

We have the same situation. We call them legacy birds, cuz they are the originals. Most have died off one way or another, but the two remaining have it easy. We don't get too attached to new ones, but if they are extra quirky they'll earn a name. Once we name them its hard to part ways. The other just get made into soup birds. Thats not hard with the developing farmers mentality.

 

[Doobly]

Always considered poultry as pets. Never culled and couldn't think of it, even the few individuals I've never warmed to, kind of pointless for me as a vegetarian anyway! I admire meat-eaters who provide for and care for their food, but it's not for me.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

We have the same situation. We call them legacy birds, cuz they are the originals. Most have died off one way or another, but the two remaining have it easy. We don't get too attached to new ones, but if they are extra quirky they'll earn a name. Once we name them its hard to part ways. The other just get made into soup birds. Thats not hard with the developing farmers mentality.

I like that...."legacy birds." It has a nice ring to it.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have had 1 die unknown cause one of the first Barred hatchery birds 7 of them 5 are 3 now this year others a year younger... my EE are just a year now Bf does not care for butchering my hands arthritic both but if the quietly go that makes it easy

 

[bobhoke]

I have had 1 die unknown cause one of the first Barred hatchery birds 7 of them 5 are 3 now this year others a year younger... my EE are just a year now Bf does not care for butchering my hands arthritic both but if the quietly go that makes it easy

We finally got easter eggers too and they started laying strong and then just quit. I hope they start again. I had one bird taken out by a hawk and like four birds stopped laying. Crazy.

 

[Bluechick2u]

Theyre just holding it in cuz they got very scared, they should start laying again real soon, as long as the hawk isn't lurking.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I keep all my chickens until they die of natural causes. My chickens are for pets, eggs are just a bonus to me.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We finally got easter eggers too and they started laying strong and then just quit. I hope they start again. I had one bird taken out by a hawk and like four birds stopped laying. Crazy.

could be as suggested how long between your hawk episode and when they stopped they may be waiting for the other show to drop put chicken wire over their run or the like so they feel safe
I was raised on a farm do not name it if you might eat it one day only ones that get names are cockerel as in Stew

 

[mlm Mike]

I use them for chicken stock/soup. Although most of them are used when they slow down laying rather than stopping completely.