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Average Lifespan

post #1 of 4
6/16/12 at 6:47pm
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I have a Rhode Island Red chicken that is around 5 years old. I don't know how much longer she may live. Do they stop laying eggs if they are too old or a certain age?

 

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4 RIRs, 2 Partridge Plymouth Rocks, 3 EEs, 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks, 1 Australorp, 1 RIR BO, 1 Pekin duck, and 1 adorable Guinea Pig!

~R.I.P Our seven chickens killed by a bear on October 1, 2011- Foghorn Leghorn, Rodger, Mrs. New York, Regina, Buttercup, Chester, and Marilla. Sunshine, the sick chick that died on March 10, 2012. Frederick, too.~

 

 

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My Pets (Click to show)

4 RIRs, 2 Partridge Plymouth Rocks, 3 EEs, 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks, 1 Australorp, 1 RIR BO, 1 Pekin duck, and 1 adorable Guinea Pig!

~R.I.P Our seven chickens killed by a bear on October 1, 2011- Foghorn Leghorn, Rodger, Mrs. New York, Regina, Buttercup, Chester, and Marilla. Sunshine, the sick chick that died on March 10, 2012. Frederick, too.~

 

 

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post #2 of 4
6/16/12 at 6:51pm

The egg laying will slow with age and will probably eventually stop.D.gif

Proud owner of a Shih Tzu dog (Snickers); 4 cats (Lindy & Lil' Kitty & Gizmo & Peppy),2 chinchillas (ChiChi and Chia), 4 guinea pigs (Zack, Ozzie, Baby Girl, & Freckles), a horse (Simba), 1 call duck (Sage), 1 Black East Indie duck (Whisper), 1 mallard duck ( Franny), a Partridge Cochin hen (Clover),an Easter Egger hen (Tilly), a Barred Rock hen (Savvy), ;3 younger chickens (Pinky, Bigfoot, and...
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Proud owner of a Shih Tzu dog (Snickers); 4 cats (Lindy & Lil' Kitty & Gizmo & Peppy),2 chinchillas (ChiChi and Chia), 4 guinea pigs (Zack, Ozzie, Baby Girl, & Freckles), a horse (Simba), 1 call duck (Sage), 1 Black East Indie duck (Whisper), 1 mallard duck ( Franny), a Partridge Cochin hen (Clover),an Easter Egger hen (Tilly), a Barred Rock hen (Savvy), ;3 younger chickens (Pinky, Bigfoot, and...
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post #3 of 4
6/16/12 at 7:10pm

I had some 10 year old hens still laying occasionally recently, so they can continue for a while although sporadically as they age. Not sure how they would have done past this age as a coyote pack wiped them out.

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post #4 of 4
6/16/12 at 7:40pm

Age at time of natural death can be a function of several things.  Nutrition, stress over lifetime of bird, sex and genetics.  The production breeds bred for high end egg or meat performance tend to burn out sooner.  Birds fed lots to be be fat tend to burn out sooner.  Having multiple bouts of disease tends to shorten life.  Males tend to live shorter lives and hens that breed a lot tend to have shorter lives.  I suspect some of the gamechicken breeds are among longest lived because of how they been selected, especially on the hen side.  With respect to Rhode Island Reds, five years is a pretty descent age.  Most continue laying to near end of life but number of eggs and hatchibility decreases with age.

Make every effort to understand your chicken's biology and the environment that supports it.
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Make every effort to understand your chicken's biology and the environment that supports it.
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