Elderly Hen: disease or age?

[jennyellers]

I have a 9 year old (10 in spring) Barred rock hen named Willow. She's had her ups and downs with health but overall been a long lived, happy backyard bird.

Yesterday she began losing her balance & losing feathers. It seems to be that her right leg is weaker then the left, not balance issues across the board. She still has a strong appetite, red comb & has been drinking plenty of water. There are no mites on her & she hasn't been introduced to any new foods recently.

I assume it's just the final turn in a long life. But I wanted to double check that, because it's been so sudden, it isn't a disease that could be passed on to the rest of the flock.
If that's a possibility what can I do to help the rest of my hens?

If it is a disease I'll separate Willow from the rest of the girls (probably bring her inside and pamper her til the end). But I'm hoping it's just age and she can spend her final days in company.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have a 9 year old (10 in spring) Barred rock hen named Willow. She's had her ups and downs with health but overall been a long lived, happy backyard bird.

Yesterday she began losing her balance & losing feathers. It seems to be that her right leg is weaker then the left, not balance issues across the board. She still has a strong appetite, red comb & has been drinking plenty of water. There are no mites on her & she hasn't been introduced to any new foods recently.

I assume it's just the final turn in a long life. But I wanted to double check that, because it's been so sudden, it isn't a disease that could be passed on to the rest of the flock.
If that's a possibility what can I do to help the rest of my hens?

If it is a disease I'll separate Willow from the rest of the girls (probably bring her inside and pamper her til the end). But I'm hoping it's just age and she can spend her final days in company.

I'm thinking it's old age. A chicken's life span on average is 8-10 yrs. Occasionally you'll have those that live to 12+ yrs of age.

My oldest chicken currently will be 10 this year. He's an Old English Game Bantam.

 

[jennyellers]

I'm thinking it's old age. A chicken's life span on average is 8-10 yrs. Occasionally you'll have those that live to 12+ yrs of age.

My oldest chicken currently will be 10 this year. He's an Old English Game Bantam.

Thank you for the reply! I agree it's most likely age. Willow is the 2nd oldest chicken I've ever owned. But I'm not confident in recognizing illness so I wanted to double check.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Thank you for the reply! I agree it's most likely age. Willow is the 2nd oldest chicken I've ever owned. But I'm not confident in recognizing illness so I wanted to double check.

You're welcome.

All you can do, is keep her comfortable until she passes.

If she had a Disease it would be pointless to separate her, since the rest of the birds would've already been exposed.