Aging Chickens/the Senior Citizens of the Flock.

[Magpiezoe]

I have 2 aging chickens. Hawkeye is an 11 year old leghorn and Abby is a 9 year old Rhode Island Red. Hawkeye is still acting like a young hen. She sleeps on the top roosting bar wither her 2 year old friend, Queenie. (My AI assistant named the one hen Queenie and it stuck.) She even lays eggs every other day and hangs out with Queenie in a flower pot!

Abby on the other hand seems to be struggling with old age. We had to add extra cross bars on the run, so she could just walk up the ramp into the coop. She still forages for food, but spends more time relaxing in dug outs. The other chickens still seem to respect her as they patiently wait for her to enter the coop first at night. She's going through a second molt and prefers to sleep in one of the nesting boxes and it's always the same nest. Today, she seemed a little disoriented. I'm thinking she might be starting to get senile. When I opened the coop, everyone came out except Abby. I just thought she was a little slow, but when I opened the large window to air out the coop, she was standing in the corner as if she was waiting for the door to open. No matter how much I tried to talk her out, she just looked at me and went back to looking at the wall for the door to open. I sprinkled a line of chicken feed leading to the door, so she followed it and finally went outside. Has anyone ever had a chicken that was either going senile or have Alzheimer's?

Thank you.

 

[DobieLover]

No, I don't think she's getting senile. I think her time has come. It sounds like she doesn't feel good and she's avoiding the flock.
Have you examined her abdomen to see if it's distended or fluid-filled?
Does she have diarrhea?
Is she too thin with a prominent keel bone?
Has she been eating?

 

[Cecelia Roselind]

I have 2 aging chickens. Hawkeye is an 11 year old leghorn and Abby is a 9 year old Rhode Island Red. Hawkeye is still acting like a young hen. She sleeps on the top roosting bar wither her 2 year old friend, Queenie. (My AI assistant named the one hen Queenie and it stuck.) She even lays eggs every other day and hangs out with Queenie in a flower pot!

Abby on the other hand seems to be struggling with old age. We had to add extra cross bars on the run, so she could just walk up the ramp into the coop. She still forages for food, but spends more time relaxing in dug outs. The other chickens still seem to respect her as they patiently wait for her to enter the coop first at night. She's going through a second molt and prefers to sleep in one of the nesting boxes and it's always the same nest. Today, she seemed a little disoriented. I'm thinking she might be starting to get senile. When I opened the coop, everyone came out except Abby. I just thought she was a little slow, but when I opened the large window to air out the coop, she was standing in the corner as if she was waiting for the door to open. No matter how much I tried to talk her out, she just looked at me and went back to looking at the wall for the door to open. I sprinkled a line of chicken feed leading to the door, so she followed it and finally went outside. Has anyone ever had a chicken that was either going senile or have Alzheimer's?

Thank you.

No I have never seen anything like this but I have also never had that old of a chicken yet my oldest is 4-1/2 years old but that’s it and she is blind.

 

[SnackMeat]

I'm not sure if chickens can get UTIs, but in humans and other animals (though I've only read about it in mammals) UTIs in seniors can cause dementia-like symptoms or exacerbate cognitive decline.


While it may be that her time has come, my last ditch effort would probably be seeing if she can be treated for a UTI to see if it's making things worse for her.

 

[DobieLover]

I'm not sure if chickens can get UTIs, but in humans and other animals (though I've only read about it in mammals) UTIs in seniors can cause dementia-like symptoms or exacerbate cognitive decline.


While it may be that her time has come, my last ditch effort would probably be seeing if she can be treated for a UTI to see if it's making things worse for her.

Chickens do not have urinary tracts. The behaviors the OP is describing are that of a chicken in discomfort.
It is common for a hen to put herself in the corner of the coop to protect her head from getting pecked by the other birds. When a bird remains stationary for a long time, the others want her to get up and move if she's not displaying normal behaviors. They can injure the back of the head or scalp her.

 

[SnackMeat]

Thanks. I couldn't find anything regarding chickens and UTIs so that's good to know. I suppose giving her some antibiotics as a hail Mary still might be useful but it might also be time to accept that she's lived a good long life.

Are you able to take her to a vet, @Magpiezoe ?