Topic of the Week - How long do chickens live?

[Sylvester017]

Well, the last week of July last year we had to put down our spunky 6-yr old Black Silkie due to a massive bleeding ovarian tumor. It was so sad to lose her because she was personality-plus except whenever she painfully had to lay an egg. She should've stopped laying eggs by age 5 like our Partridge Silkie but this little Black Silkie was a productive little girl. Unfortunately it took her life way too soon. Meanwhile, our Partridge Silkie is 7 yrs old and I heard the oldest record for a living Silkie was 17 years. Black Hen Farm seems to think a chicken's natural healthy lifespan should be 25 years. I think these are optimistic predictions because so many maladies and predators take away the lives of our beloved flocks way earlier. The genetics inherited by each individual chicken, it's environment, climate conditions, diet, disease resistance, etc etc etc all factor into a chicken's lifespan. Just because one chicken lives to 25 years doesn't mean its breed all live that long naturally. I will be happy to see if any of my girls get to 10 yrs or more, God-willing! When you think about dogs -- and sometimes cats -- that rarely live past 10 yrs, you figure you've got a pretty healthy pet if it survives past 10 yrs.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

Hei Hei gets a bath every month and gets treats of tuna and feather fixer after. He enjoys his home visits.
He's only 3 months, but healthy and very active and happy. King of the flock!
We hope to have him on our flock for many years to come!

 

[Fwoof]

My two oldest hens (that we know the age of, my Silkie Hertie we got as a rescue and we don't know how old she is) are Henrietta the Buff Orpington and Stormy the Sebright. They are both five and a half years old and are as healthy as ever!

 

[TXKukupantsKoop]

Mine are only 6 months and my first flock (10 RIR ladies). It makes me sad to even think about them getting old. I've already mentioned to my husband that we'll have to expand our chicken housing to accommodate the older ones when they're ready to retire! I know ppl that have chickens and just let them produce and then if they get sick their attitude is "whatever" and just wait for them to die. Hurts my heart.

 

[Thunder344]

I currently have two 9 year olds, and a bunch others that are in the range of 5-7. The 9 year olds are still going strong.

 

[StinkyAcres]

My oldest was 7 years when she was killed by a fox. My EE, Toasty, is currently 6 1/2.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Well i believe you all are taking my question (there is a question mark at the end) out of context.

It made me laugh. Heck, I've been a "moody hen" myself in my youth, with painful endometriosis & PMS. Cancer treatments shut down hormones, too. Hormones do affect moods, male & female. I've heard quite a few chauvinistic remarks in my life, especially during previous career climbing, usually from the mouth of a grumpy old man, some comments directed at me, but I was so shocked I just LMAO which usually stunned the man into silence, often with a bewildered expression, cuz I Didn't get mad, as he expected.
I don't know, maybe I have an odd sense of humor, sometimes inappropriate. I'd rather laugh than get ticked off though, life's too short to get mad.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Chickens & longevity...well, I've had Pigeons a few decades, they can live into their 20s, my oldest was 24, so far. I'm fairly new to chickens, since 2015. I have a few breeds here. 2 passed on about 4 years of age, they were Red Stars.
My EEs, some passed but who knows how old they were when I got them. The EEs that were hatched 2015 are still lively, just laying every other day instead of daily, so they're 7 now.
So still have my original 2015 hatches, EEs, Barred Rock, Buff Orpingtons, Wyandottes, & the hens still lay, just a bit less often, & the Roos are still feisty.
My Comets & RIRs are 5 yrs old & lay mostly daily.
I've added Marans, they're 4 yrs old laying daily.
I switched from Layer feed to All Flock & offer calcium in another feeder if hens want it. They get cabbage, watermelon, cantaloupe, yellow & green squash, shredded carrot, fresh chickweed, dandelion greens, Marigolds & clover throughout seasons. They get a huge flock block to peck at in the winter, sometimes warm oatmeal. I have a fresh mealworm farm so that's a nice weekly treat they enjoy, more often winter months since there's no insects to forage outside. I've seen them pecking at mint leaves, blueberries, tomatoes, wild blackberries, etc. Right now they love the huge crickets all over the place. I try to provide a well rounded diet & just basic chicken happy conditions. Check for mites, toe nail trims & weekly sit on my lap for pets & let me check ya over time. So far so good! Love my flock.

 

[calboy147]

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Many of us have or had the odd chicken that seems to have been around forever, year after year, laying the odd egg still, if a hen, slowly fading as time goes by… If not killed by predators, disease, mishaps, culling, or processed for the table, chickens can live a fairly long life. I'm curious to hear what age your oldest flock members reached and...

- What is the average lifespan of a chicken?
- When is a bird too old to live a quality life?
- What can you do to make sure your oldest flock members are happy and comfortable?

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Just lost my matriarch to a coon. I had her just over 8 years. Would have been nine years come March. I got her from a brother in law who had her two years to the month. He got her as a grown laying hen. I was still getting two eggs a week from her. Real sweetheart and great surrogate mother. Was kind of heart breaking to see her go.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Just lost my matriarch to a coon. I had her just over 8 years. Would have been nine years come March. I got her from a brother in law who had her two years to the month. He got her as a grown laying hen. I was still getting two eggs a week from her. Real sweetheart and great surrogate mother. Was kind of heart breaking to see her go.

So sorry