"Baz" wrote in message
...
"Christina Websell" wrote in
:


Well, you can use them for the table but there will be nothing much in
the way of meat on them. Chickens that are bred for eggs and those
who are bred for meat are totally different these days.

Your old hens, if you get fed up with them not laying as much as you
want, can be used to make nice stock for soup.
Myself, I just let them "geriatric around" when they get old, giving
me the occasional egg, but I have room for that without it making a
difference about getting some young ones.

Tina




I suppose that they would have to be killed eventually then whwn they have
served the purpose of laying eggs for us.
Sounds bad I know, but we have no room for them when they have finished
being productive.
Cant imagine how to find the justification to kill them whan the time
comes. It will not be easy and we might go back to buying our eggs from
local smallholders.
Boiling them to get some stock is not an option because I beleive the
carcas contains very high colesterol in the bone marrow, and even so to
pluck, draw and present a skinny thing like that would turn me off chicken
for life, and would be time consuming for so little reward.

No one said it was easy to keep chickens and if egg production is your aim,
one day they will get old and not be productive. At that point you have to
decide whether you can (or want to) kill them to make room for new ones, or
not.
Tina

"Sacha" wrote in message That's your own opinion,
Pete. Whilst I agree if you rely on egg sales for
your daily bread of course they have be killed and replaced, if you don't
and you wish to keep them after a few years of good production to give a
retirement I think that is perfect.
Unless you don't have room for the new ones, but luckily I do. If you
don't
then you just have to go out there one evening, snatch them off their
perch
when they are going to bed (best time, so as not to upset them) and break
their necks.
Tina

Could we just overlook Pete in this instance? He's just making trouble,
if we're going to discuss 'silly talk'! How do you treat your chickens,
Tina? I know my family needs to learn and that you've been so helpful to
us. I may be wrong and am more than willing to be set right but I think
you have more experience than most here.
--

I'm soft natured so I keep them until they pass away naturally, but if I
depended on them for an income I would not.
I can afford to keep a few elderly girls and some boys too. They did well
for me when they were younger.
If I was in a position that I couldn't afford their food unless they
produced it might be different.
Tina

In article ,
Janet wrote:
"Baz" wrote in message

Boiling them to get some stock is not an option because I beleive the
carcas contains very high colesterol in the bone marrow,

No, it doesn't. Bones contain collagen, not cholesterol.

Chicken fat (mostly in the skin) contains cholesterol
but if you make stock you can separate the fat from it easily, when it's cold.

Actually, he is correct. The marrow is fatty. You are correct
about the bone proper.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Christina Websell wrote:
If she looks very white she is anaemic and the probably cause of that is red
mite. They do not IME go white when they moult although the combs shrink as
they stop laying but their faces should always be pink when they are out of
lay and bright red when they are.

No, I realise the pale-faced one is anaemic from the mites.
When I said she looks very white, I meant her plummage!
(ie, not had a chance to get all muddy yet)

In message ,
writes
Christina Websell wrote:
If she looks very white she is anaemic and the probably cause of that is red
mite. They do not IME go white when they moult although the combs shrink as
they stop laying but their faces should always be pink when they are out of
lay and bright red when they are.

No, I realise the pale-faced one is anaemic from the mites.
When I said she looks very white, I meant her plummage!
(ie, not had a chance to get all muddy yet)

If I kept hens I would go for black ones, because they are cleverer than
white hens.
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

"Gordon H" wrote in message
news

If I kept hens I would go for black ones, because they are cleverer than
white hens.

What advantage would it be to have hens that were clever anyway ?

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

"Pete" wrote in message
news


"Gordon H" wrote in message
news

If I kept hens I would go for black ones, because they are cleverer than
white hens.

What advantage would it be to have hens that were clever anyway ?


To help with the crossword?

"mark" wrote in message
o.uk...

"Gordon H" wrote in message
news

If I kept hens I would go for black ones, because they are cleverer than
white hens.

What advantage would it be to have hens that were clever anyway ?


To help with the crossword?
When they had become retired ladies of leisure - of course, I should have
thought of that !

Pete

In message , Pete
writes


"Gordon H" wrote in message
news

If I kept hens I would go for black ones, because they are cleverer
than white hens.

What advantage would it be to have hens that were clever anyway ?

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

They would only lay eggs when I wanted them.
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

In message , Pete
writes


"Gordon H" wrote in message
news

If I kept hens I would go for black ones, because they are cleverer
than white hens.

What advantage would it be to have hens that were clever anyway ?

Because white hens can't lay black eggs.

That's the answer to the question nobody asked... :-)
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

Gordon H wrote:
Because white hens can't lay black eggs.
That's the answer to the question nobody asked... :-)

But my black hen doesn't lay white eggs. :-P

wrote in message
...
Gordon H wrote:
Because white hens can't lay black eggs.
That's the answer to the question nobody asked... :-)

But my black hen doesn't lay white eggs. :-P

At this rate - there will be more retired hens around here, than layers (:-(

Pete

Pete wrote:
Because white hens can't lay black eggs.
That's the answer to the question nobody asked... :-)

But my black hen doesn't lay white eggs. :-P

At this rate - there will be more retired hens around here, than layers (:-(

Oh, she lays, she just lays very dark brown eggs.
We got 4 eggs this morning, and none of them were the right colour
for the bantams, so I'm assuming all of ours now lay, apart from the
bantams who have been a bit unreliable the past couple of months.

In message ,
writes
Gordon H wrote:
Because white hens can't lay black eggs.
That's the answer to the question nobody asked... :-)

But my black hen doesn't lay white eggs. :-P

Did I mention white eggs? :-p
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

"Gordon H" wrote in message
...
In message ,
writes
Gordon H wrote:
Because white hens can't lay black eggs.
That's the answer to the question nobody asked... :-)

But my black hen doesn't lay white eggs. :-P

Did I mention white eggs? :-p

Like the cow who eats green grass only gives white milk ????

Bill

--
Gordon H
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