[tobytoby]

Its been a few years since the hens left and i am starting again.
I am hoping to start with 24 - once they pass their productive laying stage - what are the options? Free meat for someone but who, i couldn't do the dispatching and i wouldn't be comfortable eating them (maybe its my feminine side???)

The fox finished my last lot???

[doganjo]

Why start with so many?  I have 8, 6 of which are ex batts, and I get 6 eggs a day, plus another four from my ducks.  Plenty for me and a bit extra to sell.  If you start with a  smaller number then you can afford to allow some of them to reach maturity and fade away, then replace as requried.

[Fleecewife]

It's not always easy to tell which hens are laying and which are not, or whether they have stopped for a breather or for good.  We do as Doganjo says and just let them keep going until they fall off their perch.  I suppose it's not a commercially successful way to proceed but as ours are totally free range they get most of their food themselves, with just some layers pellets and a sprinkle of corn from us, so top production isn't our aim.  However, you do need to know how to dispatch a hen in case you have a sick or injured one which needs to be put out of her misery and pain - so that's something to learn early on.