LIFE Expectancy: Age of Laying hens when they pass

[IRBchickenmama]

I recently had a 4.5 year hen pass and FWC of Florida indicated that a 4.5 year old hen is like a 100 year old human with roughly 5 different old age chicken diseases. This website has a Google link that shows very long lifespans for chickens..
chickensandmore.com Article "how long do chickens live". Anyone Googling "how long do chickens live gets this ridiculous life expectancy chart. Can our members please help with more realistic data?

 

[Bertram]

It really depends on how well they are treated. My oldest hen is roughly 8 years and still running with the younger girls.

 

[AidKD]

I've heard that chickens can live up to 10 years old, but I had a hen who was about 4 years old die of what I think was old age. I think it really depends on the breed and how the chicken lives. I'd say a chicken who lives more of a farm life opposed to a chicken who lives indoors and is more pampered, could be expected to live a shorter life.

 

[nuthatched]

Maybe for production breeds, that pass away early due to the high laying rates but I've personally had birds get up to 9 and still be kicking but for the coyotes and several members here have chickens in the mid teens, I think one members had a 17 year old hen.
I say the average age for an older bird is 7.
@azygous was you that had an elderly wyandotte?

 

[IRBchickenmama]

It really depends on how well they are treated. My oldest hen is roughly 8 years and still running with the younger girls.

What breed is she? When/if did she stop laying?

 

[IRBchickenmama]

Maybe for production breeds, that pass away early due to the high laying rates but I've personally had birds get up to 9 and still be kicking but for the coyotes and several members here have chickens in the mid teens, I think one members had a 17 year old hen.

What breeds?

 

[nuthatched]

What breeds?

I couldn't tell you, longevity isnt breed specific. Likely not production hybrids.

 

[IRBchickenmama]

Maybe for production breeds, that pass away early due to the high laying rates but I've personally had birds get up to 9 and still be kicking but for the coyotes and several members here have chickens in the mid teens, I think one members had a 17 year old hen.
I say the average age for an older bird is 7.
@azygous was you that had an elderly wyandotte?

What breed? When/if did she stop laying? No on the Wyandotte. Mine was a Whiting True Blue

 

[IRBchickenmama]

It really depends on how well they are treated. My oldest hen is roughly 8 years and still running with the younger girls.

That's fantastic. What breed is she? Also when/if did she stop laying?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I have a 13 year old, a 12 year old, an 11 year old, and several 8-10 year olds in my mixed flock. Treating birds well helps, I pride myself in the care of my birds, but that is not the long and short of it. I've had birds that only lived to be 1-2 years old as well. Birds bred for high production of either eggs or meat generally have shorter lifespans no matter how well you treat them. And, of course, if your flock free-ranges, then your local predator population might make a difference in how long your birds live. More often than not, though, chickens die of miscellaneous ailments long before they die of old age, at least in my experience.