7 years old layer : ill or life ending ?

[Mrs Wick]

My first layer hen, a Sussex hybrid, is nearly 7 years old.
She can't stand anymore. She sleeps a lot, sometimes wakes up and pecks 3 or 4 times before falling asleep again.
I thought it was how her long life will end.

As I took her home, I notice that one eye can't open fully and she has a lot of muddy stuff in the nostril.
The other eye is "normal" and the nostril is clean.

So I'm asking myself maybe is she ill and not dying of old age ?

 

[The-White-Elephant]

My first layer hen, a Sussex hybrid, is nearly 7 years old.
She can't stand anymore. She sleeps a lot, sometimes wakes up and pecks 3 or 4 times before falling asleep again.
I thought it was how her long life will end.

As I took her home, I notice that one eye can't open fully and she has a lot of muddy stuff in the nostril.
The other eye is "normal" and the nostril is clean.

So I'm asking myself maybe is she ill and not dying of old age ?

Sounds ill, but not sure. @azygous @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hard to tell with the vague information provided.

It may be worth examining her further before you make a decision to put her down.
Checking legs/feet/joints for injury, bumblefoot, scaly leg mites, etc. to see if there's a treatable reason for her not walking.
See that her crop is emptying, look for lice/mites, have a fecal float, examine the eye for inflammation/pus/debris and flush out if needed.
Feel her abdomen for bloat or fluid which could indicate inflammation due to reproductive disorders or organ dysfunction.

Photos are always welcome.

 

[azygous]

I've had a lot of very old chickens so you'd think I would have observed one dying of old age. In fact, most of them died of complications from avian leucosis which is a very common avian virus that's in a lot of flocks that the owners aren't even aware of their chickens carrying it. Most chickens have no symptoms until their bodies age and immune systems start wearing down.

Clean the gunk out of her nare so she can breathe better. Nares are joined as one long opening that you should be able to see from one to the other and daylight at the end. So don't worry about hurting anything by scrubbing out the nares with a Q-tip. Use a little mineral oil or olive oil to soften the crust and then clean .

Inspect her eyes. Flush them with saline to clean anything that may be in them causing pain. That's often one reason for a chicken keeping their eyes closed. Something got in them that hurts.

Give her warm sugar water. She may have quit eating and is now dehydrated and starving. If she is not able to drink on her own, syringe the water into her throat like this.