Dianeuk Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 At last one of my hens has got the message and is laying hopefully the other will follow suit but how long will they continue to lay excepting breaks for change of clothes. I heard 6 years is this abour right it seems a long time to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannie Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Don't think there is an easy answer to this one Dianeuk. Depends on the chicken and the breed, and probably loads of other things too. I think they slow down too. We've only been in the chicken world for a year and a half, but it sounds to me as if not many chickens last long enough to stop laying, for various reasons. And most of us on this forum haven't kept hens for many years yet. Someone on poultry keepers forum might know more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Hi Diane, like Kannie says, it depends on the breed and lots of other factors, but most hens peak in their laying in the first two years and then gradually decline in output after that. Some hens will carry on laying an egg every now and then for many years (as many as , others may die before then. A friend of mine, who is not too sentimental about her flock, culls her hens after 3 years and puts them in the freezer, and is constantly bringing in new laying stock. Generally speaking (according to various websites/books) the hybrid hens don't seem to last as long because they are bred to lay eggs on a daily basis - this takes a lot out of them and as a coneequence they don't have a long shelf-life. I hope that this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
