Hens Passing Away Due to Old Age: What to Expect

my oldest girl has been acting strange the last day or so. i know it’s been a few years since this was posted but reading this brought me comfort that i'm doing the right thing, so i hope you still check the reviews. thank you.

Although this is not my first chumpkin death, it is my second RIR. The first one we thought was egg bound etc we did everything we could within our scope of practice. Our RIR are the oldest in the flock. Probably 8-10 years of age (they belonged to my in laws first). Anyways, I have my girl in a laundry basket just because I felt bad putting her in a tote where she couldn’t see anything. This morning is the first I’ve separated her from the flock as they have not been bullying or pecking her, in fact, they tend to stay close to her as if they’re protecting. She has lost quite a bit of weight, her breastbone is apparent, she is eating very little, separating herself from the flock, not taking in much water, lethargic more by the day etc. but last night she tried going up the ramp to the flat roost my husband built her, and fell. So she decided to sleep in the younger hens coop on the floor beside the nesting box. Our (we call her fluffy foot) stayed in there all night to keep her warm. She didn’t mind that Sue took her normal spot. So I went out around 5am and got Sue out of the box and brought her in and held her for about an hour then took her out to see the new baby chicks, and she’s now resting wrapped in a towel on top of a blanket. She has no interest in water or food, making the death rattle noise when I come near, I guess I’ll just keep an eye on her for now but this article (although it made me cry at least 4 times since I read it, and continue to reread it) has really helped me get over the fact that she is old and her dying has nothing to do with her care. I wish more people would be this kind. Thank you so much for this post.

Had a couple of chickens die in my arms and I personally think it’s the best way for them to go. I’d say that the 5-10 years would be a bit of a stretch depending on where you live and your breeds but otherwise this was very comforting to read. My cinnamon queen Samantha who was about 4 and 1/2 died in my arms this afternoon and although it was sad, I know it was the best for her. I would like to note that if a chicken is getting old sometimes before they start to lose the weight they will normally have issues that I would compare to pasty butt. Most times I just give them a soak in a warm bath and feed them some eggs to fix them up but this symptom can also be caused by parasitic infections which can just be cleared out by adding some apple cider vinegar to their water.

Thank you for discussing this. I have had many an ederly animal,horses in their 30s, barn cats making into their teens.the signs are so familiar ( as a former paramedic pretty similar to humans too) anyway i forget that many people are not familiar or comfortable with aging and death.well written compassionate article

A very helpful article which also bought a tear of anticipated sadness to my eye - we have one white bantam, Dolly, left of a small flock we inherited when friends moved overseas some twelve years ago. Dolly will be 16 years old (yes, 16!) towards the end of 2022 and continues to amaze us with her sprightly behaviour, although is I suspect, a little arthritic in the hips. I am dreading the day . . . . . . .

Sweet article. I have a few aging ladies and now I now what I need to look for in the future.

Great article, I am a new chicken Mom and wondered what to expect when the time comes. My oldest hens are two years old so I have quite a bit of time to prepare. I didn't know what to look for and how to handle her/his last days and how to make it as easy for her/him at the end. I love my flock and I will hold each of them in their last hour to comfort them. Thank you for your insightful knowledge and experience.

This helps so much, thank you.

Thank you so much, I had gotten chicks last spring and added three more fully grown hens in the fall. One I noticed showing the stages starting this past weekend. She seemed to be good this morning acting like she had the past couple days, then when I went out to feed tonight I found her dead. I thought she could have been ill or hurt, I thought that I could have done more to prevent this. But after reading this, I noticed she showed every stage that you talked about.

Thank you for the news, I just got hens 4 weeks ago and one just passed away, we didn't know how old they are and were thinking that another hen is close to dying.

Hi - thank you for your excellent article. We lost Ginny, our oldest hen today - she was 12 yrs and 8 months old. She followed the steps you described exactly (first thing we noticed was how light she was) and her passing was peaceful. I found your article so very helpful and comforting - just what I needed to see today (I came online looking for info about chickens dying of old age). Again, thank you very much for writing it. We have one hen left, Becky - she is also 12 yrs old, but a few months younger than Ginny. Someone we know takes in older hens and she offered to give us one of her older hens to be a companion for Becky. Or maybe we'll get pullets and start our flock anew... Here's a photo taken 12 days ago (Ginny on the left and Becky on the right).

Really good article, explains every step so well. My girl is an ex bat I think about 5 years old now, she's been at stage 2 for about a week, when I first noticed her being off I took her to the vet who gave her antibiotics but they didn't help. Last night she took herself off and I missed that she wasn't in with the others, this morning she comes out of hiding as soon as I opened my door, how she survived the night I do not know. Tonight I found her, put her in hut, I'm undecided if I should bring her in or not. I've noticed another girl stays with her most of the day, standing near her. They definitely form friendships. I'm hoping she goes peacefully in her sleep.

This wonderful article and makes me feel at peace with what is going on with my old girls. Two of them are going though the second stage now, it’s been a week or so. Just sleeping most of the time. They are 7 years old. It is very sad, but knowing that they are going to go peacefully, makes me feel better. I brought them both in house and they are warm and comfortable. When time comes, I just hope to have a chance to say goodbye...

Thank you for this article. I lost a hen yesterday that progressed through these phases pretty much in a "text book" manner. Her inability to walk normal was my first clue (about 2 weeks ago). She and several others were the first group I started with (5 years ago). I thought I might get a few more years with her but realize it was and is not in the stars? I've noticed another one of her mates (from the same group) is progressing in these phases as well. Am glad to learn that the passing phase is quiet and peaceful. What a wonderful way to go!
Judy in Boise

I have a chicken going through all of this now. The first thing I noticed was her slowing down and her eyes not looking at as bright or wide open. She just looked tired! I missed the first stage you mentioned. Then she went through the 2nd stage you talked about. Last night, she looked hunched over as she sat alone in the sunshine. Walking appears to be difficult for her now. This last winter has been hard on her, especially from the snow everywhere forcing confinement she isn’t used to. For a timeframe, I noticed the first signs about 3 weeks ago. I’m Guessing she will be gone this morning. I do feel like this has been a very natural and peaceful process for her.

I feel heartbroken just to think about the leaving

I have a few elderly ladies and read this article because of that. I think it will be very helpful if the day comes one will get too old to get along.

This is Jenga. She is 14. Her days are sadly almost up. Thanks to your article, I know to just make her as comfortable as possible. She can not keep her balance, she is mostly blind and sleeps a lot. She will be sadly missed.