[WarescotFarm]

Miss Megatron our white Sussex has been a really naff layer!

Then 3 days ago I noticed a prolapse and she had stopped eating and wasn't moving around much
I cleaned her up and sprayed the area with Vetricyn

We were considering  putting an end to it for her but decided to give her over night. Next morning she is bright and perky up to her old tricks and eating fine. She is still doing well but NO eggs!

So my question is can we eat her? Or because she has had a prolapse in the last week could she have a bacteria / virus. And she is vaccinated to the hilt (place we bought her from vaccinated against EVERYTHING)

Does that make her ok for the pot? AS you may guess we have never eaten or dispatched one of our birds, but she is taking up space a good layer could have and it is either that or leave her out for the fox 

Thanks as always 

[Lagmore]

Dont leave her out for the fox - it will come back for the rest!

[plumseverywhere]

I don't think I could leave a hen out for the fox just because she's stopped laying    some of mine haven't laid for a while as they are in moult.
Am assuming the prolapse occured when she last laid then?

[Laurasfarm]

Commercial chickens are medicated up to bursting so there should be no problem eating her. Prolapse is almost impossible to fix and very unpleasant for the hen, so humane dispatch is probably the nicest thing for her.  She may be more of a broiler though!

[WarescotFarm]

Dont leave her out for the fox - it will come back for the rest!

yeah that's what we thought too

[WarescotFarm]

She is also in moult but hasn't laid for maybe a month, don't know why the prolapse occurred but it hasn't come out after I pushed it back (gently)
Can't imagine she could lay again with it tho

[sokel]

I must be way too soft because our lot have a home for life unless they are getting bullied by the others and if they dont lay we just get some more chickens/bantams and buy another hen house hence the reason we now have 6 hen houses and around 40 birds

[plumseverywhere]

I must be way too soft because our lot have a home for life unless they are getting bullied by the others and if they dont lay we just get some more chickens/bantams and buy another hen house hence the reason we now have 6 hen houses and around 40 birds

We are too soft too then Sokel     Ours are rewarded for all of their laying by a comfortable home for life and humanely despatched once they are too unwell to enjoy it anymore.  In fact 2 of our green egg layers haven't presented us with an egg for quite a while....

[fairhaven]

If she ever lays an egg & then has another prolapse it won't be nice for her or you... I would eat her - Especially if she is as 'meaty looking' as some of our light sussex 

[doganjo]

I must be way too soft because our lot have a home for life unless they are getting bullied by the others and if they dont lay we just get some more chickens/bantams and buy another hen house hence the reason we now have 6 hen houses and around 40 birds

Me too, Graham.

[heidih]

please dont leave her out for the fox...she will have a frightening end ..
unfortunately im soft too..i love my hens even if they not laying..nugget not laid at all but she is spoilt..x

[kegs]

We had four hybrids that stopped laying.  As much as I love chickens, I also like chicken pie, and the price of food is too high to keep feeding them for no return.   So we dispatched them but as there wasn't a great deal of meat on them, and they were about 18 months old, we just took off the breasts.  They had a little more 'bite' to them than our Light Sussex or Faverolles but I don't think anyone else would have noticed.  They certainly made a very tasty curry first night and chicken pie the second and were still much better than any supermarket chicken.   

[plumseverywhere]

Would much rather they were humanely despatched like you say Kegs and made a decent meal of than left to take their chances against a fox     I don't believe anyone really does that, do they? After all, we spend a fortune in time and money ensuring they are safe from the fox!  The mess that mr fox leaves after a hen house massacre shows that he doesn't go in for a quick and efficient despatch either.

[in the hills]

Did WF mean ..... despatch and then leave the body out for the fox ...... ? (as opposed to eating themselves) Hope so. May need long slow casserole .... could be a bit tough if an older bird. Don't leave the body for Mr Fox ..... he will return for more dinner.


Soft here too and the girls live out their days until they pop their clogs or have to be dispatched due to ill health.


If you feel unable to dispatch a hen yourself a neighbour may do it for you or it needs to be the vet.

[Moleskins]

I read somewhere on here that when eating an older bird you put it into a pot with some vegetables and an old shoe, simmer it all for about 4 hours, season to taste then take out the bird and eat the shoe.