I have some tough decisions to make on the livestock front. It's along the lines of ethics and moral versus practical.
When I first decided to start breeding chickens, it wasn't to just have them as pets, they were to be productive as well. I researched small scale chicken keeping from Harvey Ussery and Justin Rhodes. The idea is that you only keep laying hens for two years and then cull them for food. While we manage fine with prepping the roosters we've hatched, once they start crowing, it's not so easy with hens you've grown attached to and who've provided you so faithfully with eggs.
Willow has, admittedly, never been the most faithful egg provider! She gets away with it via her cuteness.
We are urban, so we don't really have room to keep retired hens as well as the laying hens. Now, I'm fond of chickens and know they can make great pets. I know quite a few people who keep them as pets and they will spend a lot out on keeping them healthy. In fact, knowing the care they give their chickens, I feel awful even considering not keeping a chicken until its natural end of life. I have a hybrid who has developed laying problems and I'm told that she can get an implant to stop her laying at the cost of over $100 and a long journey to a vet that will do this for me. I know that there are people who would consider me awful for not choosing to do this. "If you can't afford vet bills you shouldn't keep an animal" is something I hear a lot.
Beautiful Annie has spent most of her second year being broody and I'm not entirely sure I need another mother hen.
My decision is to have chickens for eggs which aren't caged or overcrowded and I stand by this. Selling excess eggs won't cover their feed costs so I breed as well. However, I'm not going to be a backyard breeder who overcrowds in unsanitary conditions. You can't make a living doing this no matter how many you cram in anyway. So I'm not going to go above a threshold where they are no longer in happy, healthy conditions. It is a source of pride when buyers comment on how healthy and good natured our chickens are.
Lavender, our splash australorp, is beautiful, but not a big layer.
The question is, can I part with some of my hens who aren't big layers? There are some who we could never part with, but there is an option of retirement for those we might be able to part with. Some people with more land are happy to rehome older hens. I can replace with my own Easter Egger youngsters or look into a rarer large breed. Or do I go down to one flock and get some muscovies in? If I did that I'd need to get rid of a rooster and I'm not sure I want to do that after all the training I've put into keeping them quiet. Plus, I don't think I could ever part with my big boy Roast.
Perhaps for the time being I'll keep breeding the Easter Eggers, enjoy some multicoloured eggs and make new decisions further down the line. For those who keep chickens as pets, I'm pretty sure I already know what they would say, but what do the homesteaders say?
For me the answer is obvious because I am a meat eater and I would rather have home grown or wildcrafted meat than purchasing store bought meat. Buying or trading for meat from a neighbor or local farm would be my second choice, but even then "retirement" has to happen. And also I would prefer to save money on feed, especially through a winter when food is more scare. But I don't know that I would choose two years as a hard cutoff, but I would definitely cull my own... and I have culled for others so I know what it takes. But that said I haven't raised my own chickens yet since I haven't been in a permanent enough setting to raise my own and so I haven't developed a long term relationship with chickens yet.. that might make it harder. If I didn't eat meat but I ate eggs, that would make it harder to decide as well :) But it's hard to wildcraft eggs!
Thank you for your thoughts. I feel I've had viewpoints from all different angles now.
I'm not in a situation where I can provide all our own meat and we don't have neighbouring farms, but I have cut down on store bought both with our own supplies and bulking out with vegetables. I still don't really like supporting mass produced and it's hard to get anything else here.
If we had more land for larger flocks which look alike I think culling would be easier. I met someone once who has free range chickens running the land and she just selects one when she wants a meal (usually a rooster). Because our chickens are in close proximity we can't help, but get to know them.
I don't think many people actually realise that eggs are seasonal. They're certainly not something you'd eat regularly in the wild, so I can imagine how hard they would be to wildcraft.
It is interesting as homesteaders to become much closer to our food that we come to the ethical and personal questions about what to eat, why and how. Its not always easy or clear cut, but you won't make a wrong decision especially with so much love for your animals. Good luck with making your decision and I hope you don't lose too much sleep over it! Your animals have wonderful lives :)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGG! I've been here several times and always fall for the same stupidity. I always put up with keeping them even if they are poor layers.
I get too attached and just believe they have a right to peck as much as the next one.
Its more feed, but its more free entertainment!
But more feed is not free!! 😆 The entertainment is good though!
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I don't eat eggs but I would be sad if people just kept them for eggs and then killed them off (not that you seem to be saying this) once they are no longer useful. Obviously, I'm of the view that animals aren't here to serve human needs. I think they should be able to live out their lives as intended.
To be honest, the people advocating killing them after two years have large flocks on more land and can keep more emotionally detached. I dont think you can develop that emotional detachment for a small backyard flock, especially when they're all so obviously different. I'm starting to think that those who can offer retirement homes offer an incredibly valuable service. I'd love to be able to do that myself.
I understand your dilemma. As a fellow homesteader and chicken breeder...my situation is slightly different because I don't eat meat, so we would retire our hens if their egg production slowed down, and care for them because they've earned it by giving back for so long. However, I'm not an advocate for vet bills...so you won't hear me saying you need to rush over on over and spend unnecessary money..especially on an impant (the more I think on this more crazy it sounds!) I think you'll know if it's ever time to cull. Trust your instincts, you'll know what to do!
I did originally plan to keep retired hens in one flock, but I'd still reach a point of saturation. I know I'm not going to be able to kill them, but I do think I need to seriously consider rehoming some and it would be better done while they are still laying as even people who retire them would still like a few eggs.
I think that's a great idea! Then if they see them more as a pet, then they'll have a great life!
I don't have chickens so I can't say that I have experience in this area! But if the costs are getting to be unwieldy and there are others who would rehome older hens, I would think that's a nice solution. I know some local Facebook friends who take their birds for meat to someone else to "process," because they can't bear to do it themselves after raising and knowing them, but I know others who do it themselves because it's less scary for the birds to be done quick, with care, at home - but I think in that case they are specifically unnamed meat birds, not the laying hens with names.
I'm of the ilk that if I can't do it myself, then I'm not going to put them through the stress of going elsewhere to be slaughtered. So I think if they're going to leave my land it will be to a retirement home.
It's a tough call. I think for people who have a large number of chickens and aren't as close to them, culling would be easier. Unfortunately I think this one is up to you since you have to feel right about it.
Annie is gorgeous btw!
It probably helps having a flock that all looks alike too. I'm not so close to the quails and they mostly look alike, so when one dies it's easier to deal with.
Annie is gorgeous. Gold laced Wyandotte. She's not fond of cuddles, but likes to jump on your back or shoulders.
Looks like my hubs beat me to commenting on this one. I agree, Annie is gorgeous!
All I can say is, I am glad we have 50 acres because we might end up with a hen retirement home. -Aimee
I hope you do end up with a retirement home!
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