what do you do when they dont lay any more

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Scuffer

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I love my hens they are friends however i also enjoy their eggs, i have year old (just) warrens that lay good eggs every day, my new additions for 2010 have yet to lay their first egg. All sites i have looked at say the egg aying declines rapidly after 2 years dependant on all sorts of variables. If they are spoilt rotten eat like kings and get love and cuddles every day (from me) how long can i expect to be blessed with egg laying.

Serious answers only please i am very attached to my girls, if the obvious is to be believed i need to look at losing my original 4 warrens sometime in winter 2011 is this right? i will be an emotional wreck !!!!!

please advise friends
 
Well I have some TNNs (Trannsilvanian Naked Necks) that are going on ten years old and are still laying. Not as strong as youngsters do but I would say the production is down close to 50% with them. That is ok with me though as I have the room to just keep them until they pass.

If you let the girls rest through the winter you can extend their productive laying by a few years. Where producers burn out a hen is by keeping them under lights and having them lay every day through their first two years.

Another trick I have found is to get chicks hatched late summer/early fall. Chicks raised at this time will be ready to lay the following spring and they will be fully mature when they start. A spring raised chick will begin around July and not be fully devoloped, they will have to grow and lay at the same time and that can be hard on them.

Feed is another issue altogether as is housing and health. All of these factors can affect laying and just how long they lay.

If I remember right, and I expect to be corrected if wrong, the Warrens are like our Production Reds here and bred to lay. You may want to go to an old breed that is listed as a dual purpose like the RIRs or the Rocks. They don't lay as many eggs in a year's time but will be more consistant through the years.
 
Scuffs--you know what you do when they stop laying-you cuddle them and give them a long happy retirement, and get in a few young birds to lay! They should lay for ages yet if infrequently , I have some oldies like NNB -they still produce the odd egg-albeit not often. After second lay they may have a couple more years yet of laying a reasonable amount. What you decide to do can only be made if you decide if they are pets or egg producers. If you decide their time is up then either dispatch them or find them a pet home altogether as they may live for years yet - dont go doing the 'rescue home' thing and have them come to some awful end for a £1 each! Ros
 
What others have said really.

They can continue laying far longer than that so I'd not worry about it tbh. It will probably be that egg production will drop off a bit but no reason to cull them if they are healthy and still laying, even if its not one a day.

My egg layers, so long as they lay a couple of times a week I don't mind. Even if they stop, if they are happy and healthy I tend to just leave them be. None of them have ever actually stopped, most just drop down to a couple of eggs a week.
 
Why get rid of your old girls, they will reward you for years to come, albeit less eggs. I have 14 year old silkie crosses, not laid for years, but will be with me till the go to poultry heaven
 
The way I see it is my hens are my pets that just happen to lay eggs. If they stopped laying they'd still be my pets.
If I had a cat which stopped having kittens she'd still be a pet

Osric
 
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