Destocking

[ImLost]

When do people destock old laying hens? Is there a particular time of year? What dictates when you destock??

 

[dw123]

following this!

 

[Chasingmytail]

Surely it works on POLs and light so spring Id say April/May. Depends on the breeds are you talking commercial hybrids then its around 18 - 24 months. If you are more relaxed then 2.5yrs old pushing it at 3 but depends on you are bothered in getting eggs every day.

 

[unlacedgecko]

When do people destock old laying hens? Is there a particular time of year? What dictates when you destock??

On a commercial unit destock is driven by the eggs per day drop, or a predetermined time period from stocking.

 

[Beekissed]

When using commercial layers and large numbers, most destock around 2 yrs. I use dual purpose here and don't have a flock into the hundreds, so I cull each year and sometimes twice a year to weed out poor or nonlayers. I allow the better hens to replace themselves and the culls are canned up into jars for eating.

 

[ImLost]

So if I read this right, you are using a dual purpose pure breed?

 

[Beekissed]

So if I read this right, you are using a dual purpose pure breed?

Yep...a couple different breeds. After 44 yrs of keeping chickens of various breeds I've narrowed it down to a couple of breeds that serve my goals. My goals are eggs and meat, so I keep hens that have a nice carcass at the end of their laying life but also put out a nice cockerel for eating as well, while still producing eggs in goodly numbers.

 

[ImLost]

Yep...a couple different breeds. After 44 yrs of keeping chickens of various breeds I've narrowed it down to a couple of breeds that serve my goals. My goals are eggs and meat, so I keep hens that have a nice carcass at the end of their laying life but also put out a nice cockerel for eating as well, while still producing eggs in goodly numbers.

That's brilliant! What kind of numbers do you keep and what breeds?

 

[Beekissed]

That's brilliant! What kind of numbers do you keep and what breeds?

I'm not a big time farmer like folks on here, so I only have a little over 50 birds on the land. Have been developing this particular flock for 9 yrs now. I use Plymouth White Rock as my primary focus bird and Black Australorp as my secondary. I'll even use mixes of the two but normally cull those pretty heavily, just keeping the mixes a couple laying seasons.

 

[ImLost]

I'm not a big time farmer like folks on here, so I only have a little over 50 birds on the land. Have been developing this particular flock for 9 yrs now. I use Plymouth White Rock as my primary focus bird and Black Australorp as my secondary. I'll even use mixes of the two but normally cull those pretty heavily, just keeping the mixes a couple laying seasons.

How much do you record if at all? E.g. Bird weights, egg weights/numbers?

 

[Beekissed]

How much do you record if at all? E.g. Bird weights, egg weights/numbers?

This is not a money enterprise, but just for family food supplies. I don't keep records, other than in my mind. I know the general performance of each hen by observation and a physical exam at peak laying times. I mark them at that time for which will be culled in the fall and which will not.

 

[ImLost]

This is not a money enterprise, but just for family food supplies. I don't keep records, other than in my mind. I know the general performance of each hen by observation and a physical exam at peak laying times. I mark them at that time for which will be culled in the fall and which will not.

Fair enough. I know a lot more people used to do it before and shortly after the second World War, but since hybridisation and commercial scale poultry keeping have come along, not many bother any more! My retirement dream is to run a few flocks and get them back to consistent dual purpose standards. I.e. Heavy rir that lay good numbers of large eggs for a decent length of time.

 

[ImLost]

Back to the original topic, when do people destock? I cant believe there are that few on this forum that have got hens ?