In general, what is the life expectancy of a chicken? Also, how many of those years are productive with regard to egg laying? Thanks!
Hello, I think the average life expectancy for a chicken varies around 7-8 years, though they often die before that due to diseases and predators. I am pretty sure the record for oldest chicken was 20 years. Chickens are most productive the first 2 years of their life, for the next 2 they are slowing down, but still productive, and then you will only be able to expect 1-3 eggs a week from a chicken older than that.
I'll answer your second question based only on my experience with my almost 3 year old hens, out 7 chickens I get 3 eggs a day on average versus 95% ( 5-7 eggs daily) production on their first year.
There are definitely reports of older birds. And the breed and where you got the bird does heavily influence the lifespan of the bird. However, I think a more realistic expectant average age would be 3-4 years. Some will last longer, some won't make it that long. I have had a lot of birds (from hatcheries) be perfectly fine one day, dead the next around the 3 year mark. Mrs K
Sumi recently posted this as the "question of the week". It has been a very prolific thread. You might want to read through the responses. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1131537/topic-question-of-the-week-how-long-do-chickens-live I personally have a very healthy eight and a half year old Light Brahma hen. She says she has no immediate plans on dying. I also have two seven year old Wyandottes who still lay regularly. With good diet and good care, chickens can have long and productive lives.
