Hatchery hen average lifespan compared to private breeder stock

[Nksg75]

After years of having chickens, I have noticed time and again that the hatchery hens have major reproductive/health issues starting around their 3rd year. Some recover, and go on to lead a decent life for another year or so, however I have not had a hatchery chicken make it past 5 years.
On the other hand I have several chickens from private breeders that I either bought as chicks, or just ordered eggs, and hatched myself that are 7-8 years old and still going strong.
I even noticed that any mixes from private breeder/hatchery tend to live longer and are overall healthier than the hatchery bought chicks
I realize that the hatcheries are in it for profit. As a business, it is about numbers, and not so much health/vitality.

Has anyone had this same issue?
Any thoughts on this?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I’m guessing it’s mainly due to breeding differences- hatcheries breed for egg or meat production, while private breeders usually breed for outward appearance first. Hens bred for high egg production will have more reproductive issues than ones that aren’t bred to lay as many eggs.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I only get birds from hatcheries or breeding drom my hatchery birds and I have several hens and roosters that make it 6+ years

 

[Nksg75]

I only get birds from hatcheries or breeding drom my hatchery birds and I have several hens and roosters that make it 6+ years

Hmm, could be my bad luck, or possibly the hatchery I normally buy from.
I do have most hatchery chicks from Ideal, however I have also used Cackle hatchery, MPC and whoever the feed stores near me purchase from (I think Hoover or Privatt)
One other thing I noticed is that the EE from Ideal seem to live much longer than any other of the hatchery birds.

 

[aart]

Breeds can make a difference too.

 

[poultryprofessor]

There are so many factors involved in lifespan that it's hard to determine causation here.

However, there is one notable difference between hatcheries and at least some private breeders that could contribute. In my experience, hatcheries breed from young stock. They hatch new breeders each year (between mid summer and mid fall) and do not carry them over to the next season. I would tell you every chick produced by a mail-order hatchery has parents that are less than 1.5 years old. Spring hatched chicks are coming from parents that are <9 months old. So, there is no selection pressure for longevity.

Practices of private breeders will vary. Some will use a similar system to hatcheries. Others will breed from older birds. Depends on their goals and setup. I personally am only hatching eggs from birds over a year old right now, but I could get more chicks if I were hatching from my pullets. My November 2020 pullets are laying much more consistently than my July 2019 hens of the same breed.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I suspect a tremendous amount of selection bias in this, affecting what we remember (and don't) about our birds. Its human nature, and can serve to reveal a bit about our unconscious beliefs.

That said, its a fact that certain hybrids produced at commercial scale have been selected for egg laying - by the big breeders who want lots of production, and by the buyers seeking those birds out. There is, for at least those breeds, significant selection pressure (as the professor said) for some "quantity" birds that individual consumers might benefit (or suffer) from. Moreover, the quantity of birds most of us will own, over our lifetimes, allowed to mature to old age - set against the number of birds sold yearly - is a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of an infinitesimally small fraction of a percent. None of us is likely to have the personal experience to offer a statistically valid opinion - our sample size is too small.

What we can do, however, is evaluate the categories.

I don't see how its possible to lump "breeders" into a single category - as the posts on BYC make clear, individual "breeders" run the gamut from backyard hobbyists of no particular knowledge or experience to industry respected specialists in a line (or a few lines) of birds.

To use myself as example, I am, arguably, a "breeder". My flock breeding goals have very little to do with longevity, except as a potential consequence of being hearty free rangers with decent weight gain early on. Likewise, if they aren't as prone to reproductive problems in later years, it will be only as accidental consequence of my willingness to give up some frequency of lay while getting more meat on the bone. Neither is a deliberate effort on my part - I'm not breeding show chicks or pets.

Obviously, others will have differing management practices, differing goals, and their selection choices will result in differing outcomes. The professor offers one such above.

Unlike hatcheries, whose commercial breeding goals largely align. Additionally, as some posters noted in threads earlier this year, some hatcheries have drop shipped birds to end purchasers which originated at other hatcheries. And hatcheries seem, in some cases, to be obtaining their stock from certain (likely shared) large breeders.

That significantly reduces variation - but also raises the real possibility that your Privett Hatchery Stock or ideal Hatchery Stock of a particular breed might be exactly the same birds as Joe the Breeder's large flock of particular rare breed.

So while I think we can make some very broad statements for a couple of the high volume "breed" lines, I don't think that statement offers anything of use or value regarding an individual purchase of a bird at hatching, unless you have specifically selected it or its known individual parentage.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

I have a barred rock that came from a feed store that's nine years old and still lays like one egg a week.

 

[CaroleW]

Agreed... too many factors to make generalized statements on lifespan. You could also make an environment vs. heredity argument here. I've had 2 sex-links live until 10 years old in a very secure backyard setting for most of their lives.

I'm trying to keep a more sustainable flock now so getting flock members from local breeder or knowledgeable flock keepers helps me know how their goals match up with mine. I can chat with them anytime to get more info and hopefully I'm helping them reduce flock size when their culls might meet my goals but they no longer fit into their project.

 

[Nksg75]

All very good points.
Yes you are correct, I don’t have Enough chickens or enough experience to make and unbiased claim.
I just noticed In my flock that this has been the case.