🐔 Hens 8+ Years Old - What Contributed to Their Longevity?

[Firsttimehens1234]

This thread is a spinoff of this discussion: In your flock, what is the average lifespan of your hens?

If you have (or have had) a senior hen eight years or older, what do you think contributed to her long life?

Please share anything you think made a difference; diet, housing, breed, how often they laid, how you managed predators, or anything else you believe helped.

Here are a few helpful prompts to guide your post:

• How old is she now (or how old was she when she passed)
• What breed(s) is she?
• Where was she purchased or sourced (self-hatched, hatchery, breeder, feed store, rescue, etc.)? If self-hatched, was she raised by a broody hen or incubator/hand-raised?
• Is she still laying? If not, when did she stop?
• What was her egg-laying frequency like during her prime years?
• Has she ever been seriously ill or injured?
• What’s her diet like (commercial feed, kitchen scraps, supplements, etc.)?
• What is her water setup like (type of waterer, how often it’s cleaned or changed)?
• Does she free-range or stay in a run? Is the run enclosed, partially covered, or fully open?
• How often do you deworm or treat for parasites? What treatment do you use?
• What’s your climate like?
• Do you provide heat in the winter or any other special accommodations?
• What are the coop conditions like (space, ventilation, cleanliness, etc.)?
• What has her flock size been like over the years?
• Has there ever been a breeding rooster in the flock?
• Where is she in the pecking order?
• What is her general behavior or personality like (e.g., calm, dominant, friendly, skittish)?

Photos welcome! Let’s celebrate your older gals and learn what might help other keepers give their flocks long, healthy lives.

I recently lost my oldest hen,who I got by accident when I was scammed and I ended up with her, she was already old when I got her three years ago. She had lived in horrible conditions in her first home, but when she came to me she started getting to free roam for most of the day,got organic chicken food,with no soy,and lots of greens,and a great flock where everyone respects everyone, she had always been sleeping outside,so maybe it was also the fresh air that contributed to her getting old. When I got her she was definitely a little over her prime,the first five months after I got her she layed an egg every single day, but after that she was done, sometimes she would start laying again and she would lay for a couple weeks and then stop again, she layed her last and only egg of the season in march. She was never sick or ill in any way surprisingly, she did have a suspected brain injury,and she would also get episodes where she would collapse on the ground, but after her episode she would get right back up again.
When I got her, it wasn’t so much of making sure she would lay eggs and keeping her as a laying hen,but more or less just to give her a good end to her life, in her last couple of months, her funny personality was shining through,she was the second last in the hierarchy,but never bickered with anyone,and she was mostly always calm, she was thriving, and two days ago she died peacefully in her sleep with no further health complications