? for those who raise chickens?

How many years one lays depends on if you force them to lay through the winter unnaturally. If left to lay according to seasonal changes, a hen can lay for many years. Egg laying drops off as the light of day dwindles. If you artificially light your coop at night they will lay more eggs but it will burn out your hens sooner. I don’t know your climate, but here in N. Ga. I only keep the heat light on on the coldest of nights (mid-20’s or lower), and with eight I don’t know if I can drop lower before turning it on since we have mostly Buff Orps and 2 Barred Rocks which are the bigger ones (and considered to be the two top most docile). Chickens can produce quite a bit of heat together, standard breeds especially, so it depends on the severity of your climate and what kind of breeds you own. 

 Also, their diet is different from season to season, too, which affects laying. I mix our own food, plus they forage and have 2 other runs for alternating (which I must seed soon). Heavy laying in Spring, Summer and fall requires different caloric, calcium and protein needs than in Winter. I refuse to have GM corn and soy (GM or organic), cottonseed and animal by-products as exists in non-organic feed, in my feed, so I buy 50 lb. bags from a local organic farm, split it among buckets and mix it myself. Ours get tons of scraps and you can also plant Fall plants to feed them during the Winter, like cover crops and greens. Mine adore marigolds, nasturniums, clover and basil; which are still producing here, not to mention the other edible “weeds”, many which have medicail qualities for us and the chickens, too. In the Winter when they are in the coop more, I use a suet holder, one of those cheap green wire ones, and stuff it full of winter greens, hang it in the run and they go to town! I also give them my bean juice, from soaking my beans overnight, the water potatoes and squash are cooked in and on our hot days (and even some in Winter) whey and water mixed together; plus kefir and curdled raw milk (I set it out for 4 days to make curds and whey for them!); they also drink natureally fermented sauerkraut and pickle juice; all of which increases their good bacteria and keeps them healthier. I want my dd to start a cricket farm for them for Winter, but we’re still trying to figure that one out (she loves bugs, it’s just a matter of where to keep them). I’m always searching for more self-sufficiency and less buying. I’m going beyond your question….sorry, I get excited! We enjoy them so much.

How well they handle Winter is also according to breeds, which is why I got the Buffs and Barred Rocks, in addition to temperament, and being meat and egg birds. They are good layers naturally through the Winter without artificially pushing it. Other breeds are not so suited. In the summer I had at least an egg a day from each hen, some of them more. I have a couple that are extra good layers and some not from both breeds (one Barred called Bort-Bort due to her noises my dd thinks she makes, Top Hen and Goldie, both Buffs, lay the most often, one Buff rarely lays and the other Barred every other day or so, those I want to cull- yummy), but the average is 24 or so hrs., but in Summer it was more often and some would lay clutches of 3 or 4 at a time. We notice that the best foragers are the ones with the most eggs layed. I froze (with a little salt into ice cube trays) all my extra eggs from summer (at one point I had 6 dozen eggs in my fridge!) for winter uses in cooking only; I’ll use the ones they lay for fresh eating. I try to follow seasonal eating designed by G-d. You can freeze whole eggs, just yolks or just whites; some I know dry them.

I recommend the heritage breeds; modern breeds are bred for market, mass production, laying too much, burning out and getting plumped up for butchering at 8 weeks instead of  16-21; not the foraging capabilities and longevity that chickens have traditonally been. I esp. recommend Buff Orpingtons, esp. as your rooster as they are protective but are trustworthy when you have children. Stay away from Rhode Island Red roosters; hens good, males not for a family. Plus, you only want 1 rooster per 10-15 hens, too. I’d get more Barred (or any in the family of Plymouth Rocks), too. Again, check for climate acclimation, too.

Don’t forget your DE in the coop (the food grade kind), mixed with the pine shavings (don’t use cedar!) and in their feed, if you choose to make it or add to it if you buy it as it is a natural anti-parasitic.

I recommend getting all the info. you need at http://www.backyardchickens.com/ and joining their forum at the beginning of your endeavor. Also check out the good books available on the subject.

Here’s a breeds chart:http://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/breed-chart

It has been recommended on the BC site to try to narrow down which breeds you want and try to keep from a having too much of a managerie.

Hope I’ve answered your questions; from “the snack lady” (that’s me); who between the compost and chickens, food seldom gets wasted!

Rachel

If all but 5 are pullets, then they are probably not laying yet.  When they start laying, their eggs will be very small (and cute.)  We got our new batch in mid-April and we’re just now starting to get eggs, usually only 1 or 2 pullet eggs a day.  Also our older ones are dropping off.  A couple are already molting.  I’d say give them some time and in the next month or so you should see  your pullets stepping up to the plate.  Last year our pullets didn’t start laying until mid-October.

The roosters are aweful yummy; and much better than having them start attacking each other as they mature. You’ll have no problem butchering them if that starts to happen. Using a killing cone with a bucket underneath makes it a quite neat and efficient process. Just remember they have a purpose as livestock; they bring pleasure and nourishment. You take care of them so they take care of you.

Rachel

I dunno…We have 2 roosters.  They’ve almost killed each other twice.  We had to separate one into our “chicken hospital” aka, dog crate until it recovered.  It’s also hard on the hens unless you have several. 

We have 15 hens.  And the little one is a bantam, so not a whole lot a fattening to do!  But I do want to put him out of his misery.  I know he’s not happy in there as he’s hen pecked b/c they’re all bigger than he is.  I can probably get down to 2 roosters.  Hate to get rid of the RIR, but Jacob is our pet caretaker and lover and he is attached to “Featherlegs” the chinese one.  I think the barred rock is definitely the most aware and “roosterlike”, but man, he’s the biggest and would give us a couple meals!  LOL  Since I’m not planning on hatching any, I guess we don’t need the RIR….but he’s pretty too.