Hi,

As a bumpkin I still have no idea how long they live... or lay for?

.... that's assuming of course they die a 'natural' death.

Thanks,

Keith

"Keith (Dorset)" wrote in message
...
Hi,

As a bumpkin I still have no idea how long they live... or lay for?

... that's assuming of course they die a 'natural' death.

Thanks,

Keith

I never had the heart to cull mine so I can say they do lay some eggs when
old but it is not a meaningful quantity after about 4 years.
We used to find the first laying year to be the most productive but that in
the second the eggs were heavier although less in number, after that you
just get less. In our case this was complicated by the fact that young hens
will often use the nest boxes provided but the wily old birds favoured the
hedges so not only did they lay less but you could never find them all!!

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
"Keith (Dorset)" wrote in message

As a bumpkin I still have no idea how long they live... or lay
for?

... that's assuming of course they die a 'natural' death.

I never had the heart to cull mine so I can say they do lay some
eggs when
old but it is not a meaningful quantity after about 4 years.
We used to find the first laying year to be the most productive but
that in
the second the eggs were heavier although less in number, after that
you
just get less. In our case this was complicated by the fact that
young hens
will often use the nest boxes provided but the wily old birds
favoured the
hedges so not only did they lay less but you could never find them
all!!

I'm like you Charlie. I hate killing my old chooks. I get about 75%
egg laying return from my chooks which must be about 5 years at least.
That more than I can cope with and I give away lots of eggs. The eggs
are a reasonable size but I have noticed that the shells are now
beginning to get thin. It might be time to cull them, but they still
good service turning over weeds and making it into compostable
material so no real hurry. I recall reading about a chook that was 12
years old - it wasn't laying but he point of the story was that the
bird had been operated onas a young pullet (for reasons which now
escape me) and hadn't laid an egg since the op - it was a pet but
apparently well at 12.

On 5/1/07 11:41, in article
, "Farm1"
please@askifyouwannaknow wrote:

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
"Keith (Dorset)" wrote in message

As a bumpkin I still have no idea how long they live... or lay
for?

... that's assuming of course they die a 'natural' death.

I never had the heart to cull mine so I can say they do lay some
eggs when
old but it is not a meaningful quantity after about 4 years.
We used to find the first laying year to be the most productive but
that in
the second the eggs were heavier although less in number, after that
you
just get less. In our case this was complicated by the fact that
young hens
will often use the nest boxes provided but the wily old birds
favoured the
hedges so not only did they lay less but you could never find them
all!!

I'm like you Charlie. I hate killing my old chooks. I get about 75%
egg laying return from my chooks which must be about 5 years at least.
That more than I can cope with and I give away lots of eggs. The eggs
are a reasonable size but I have noticed that the shells are now
beginning to get thin. It might be time to cull them, but they still
good service turning over weeds and making it into compostable
material so no real hurry. I recall reading about a chook that was 12
years old - it wasn't laying but he point of the story was that the
bird had been operated onas a young pullet (for reasons which now
escape me) and hadn't laid an egg since the op - it was a pet but
apparently well at 12.


There's a charity here that rescues battery hens and gives them to homes as
pets. If they lay eggs, so much the better! When we kept hens and they
stopped laying, I'm afraid we rang a local old peoples' home run as a
charity by the Little Sisters of the Poor and their handyman came along and
took the hens away. I think they turned into soup after that but at least
they did some good to those who needed it.
But those were the most expensive eggs I've ever eaten. When it was cold,
they stopped laying; when it was hot, they stopped laying; if the dogs
barked too loudly, they stopped laying and a couple of good bangs from
Concorde as it passed over Jersey on its way to Paris and - you've guessed
it!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
"Keith (Dorset)" wrote in message

As a bumpkin I still have no idea how long they live... or lay
for?

I'm like you Charlie. I hate killing my old chooks. I get about 75%
egg laying return from my chooks which must be about 5 years at least.
That more than I can cope with and I give away lots of eggs. The eggs
are a reasonable size but I have noticed that the shells are now
beginning to get thin. It might be time to cull them, but they still
good service turning over weeds and making it into compostable
material so no real hurry. I recall reading about a chook that was 12
years old - it wasn't laying but he point of the story was that the
bird had been operated onas a young pullet (for reasons which now
escape me) and hadn't laid an egg since the op - it was a pet but
apparently well at 12.

Between 8 and twelve is what we expected, cause of death was nearly always a
internal swelling, and hens do dead in style they always seemed to be on the
ground with their feet in the air!
Fox got the last of them a few years back and we have not replaced them as
most of my lot are not able to eat egg and would you believe garden visitors
were for the most part very reluctant to enter the orchard if there were
hens there (also stopped the scrumping by local kids :~)

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message

Between 8 and twelve is what we expected, cause of death was nearly
always a
internal swelling, and hens do dead in style they always seemed to
be on the
ground with their feet in the air!

I can picture it - they do just that! But that comment reminds me of
that ancient joke about the randy rooster.

The new rooster goes qucikly to work in the way that roosters do and
his acts of virility amaze the chookkeeper.

The next morning the owner comes out to find the rooster lying on his
back with his legs in the air with a crow circling low overhead.

Rushing up to see how his poor rooster died, the owner bends over only
to have the rooster whisper, "Go away - once that crow lands I'll have
my way with him".

Fox got the last of them a few years back and we have not replaced
them as
most of my lot are not able to eat egg and would you believe garden
visitors
were for the most part very reluctant to enter the orchard if there
were
hens there (also stopped the scrumping by local kids :~)

???? Were they worried that the chooks would attack them or
something????

BTW, you know I promised you I'd do a post about gardening in the heat
of an Australian summer just to relieve your winter gloomies? The
heat hasn't really hit yet, but I went to a birthday party last night
for a British born friend and her whole family was out from the UK to
help celebrate - must have been at least 8 of them and I thought of
you. One of the Brit rels is the most vivacious and gogeous looking,
drop dead lovely and faintly exotic woman. Of the hundred or so
people there, she was the only one with a tan. All the Australian
women there were white and avoid the sun like the plague but she'd
been doing the Barmy Army thing and basking at the cricket so she
could go back to London with a tan. She was complaining about our
local overcast weather whilst all us locals were thankful for the
chance to garden in relative comfort even if the clouds don't drop
rain.