Broody Vs non-broody lifespan

[Altairsky]

Anyone know if hens that goes broody and hatch eggs live longer than hens that are not allowed to sit? Usually chickens that lay a lot end up with reproductive issues that greatly shorten their life, but if a hen is allowed to breed, she will take a break from egg laying. Do you think this might preserve her reproductive system better?

 

[aart]

Do you think this might preserve her reproductive system better?

Overall, no.

Usually chickens that lay a lot end up with reproductive issues that greatly shorten their life

This mostly applies to birds bred for high production, sexlinks etc.

 

[DobieLover]

That's an interesting question.
I believe that the breeds that were designed to crank out eggs are doomed regardless if they go broody.

So my answer would be, no, it shouldn't matter. The hens that don't go broody will lay all their eggs sooner than a broody because the broody stopped for a while. The broody hens will lay relatively the same number of eggs over a longer period of time. But both would live approximately the same lifespan, all other potential life shortening issues being equal, because a chicken is hatched with all the ova she will ever lay. Just like women.

@Shadrach , @Perris , @LaFleche what are your opinions?

 

[wrathsfarm]

Interesting question and just here to follow along for curiosity.

 

[Perris]

Anyone know if hens that goes broody and hatch eggs live longer than hens that are not allowed to sit?

Maybe better to compare those that go broody with those that don't (rather than, or in addition to, those who are not allowed to sit, which introduces the human interference factor)?

I don't think I can answer your question on the basis of my experience to date. I have two 7 year old hens, one goes broody at least once a year (since 2018), the other has never gone broody. The latter lays more eggs every year, but they're different breeds, which may have at least as much to do with it as does broodiness. The essential biology was laid out by @DobieLover in post #3.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think all you will get on this is opinion. Somebody has to pay for studies and I don't know who would pay for a decades-long study on this topic. Commercial operations are the ones that typically pay for studies and they don't use broody hens or keep hens longer than two laying seasons. Your best is going to be anecdotal. Most of that is going to be small samples like Perris's two hens and as he so correctly points out there are a lot of other factors involved.

Hens hatch with all the ova they will ever have but that doesn't mean they will all become eggs. Some lay every other day if you are lucky. Some lay practically every day. Predators, injury, and illness cut short laying life for many. As they get older ova become corrupted and will never develop into a yolk. Some hens will lay in the shortest of winter days once they get past the molt but others may wait until the longer warmer days of spring to resume laying. Some are slow molters and may take 4 or 5 months to molt. Fast molters may be back to laying within 6 weeks of starting. How fast they molt is genetic.

In my opinion there are way too many variables to even try to manage this other than try to keep them safe from predators and healthy.

 

[LaFleche]

Broodiness is very hard on a hen and can be fatal in case the hen is not healthy or well cared for.

More than half of my hens go broody several times a year, but I only let few of them hatch chicks every other year and the rest will be kept in a bright and airy aviary for a few days until they stop broody behaviour. The aviary provides ample space, wood shavings to scratch around in, a nice big dust bath and a wooden construction to perch on so the various broodies residing there can keep each other on their toes.

As @DobieLover already laid out, the amount of eggs a hen can possibly lay is already predetermined from the beginning and does not change because of broodiness. Some are spent early, others lay well into their old age without any problems whatsoever.

ETA: From my experience the life span of a hen in itself is not related.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I haven't noticed much of a difference. Oldest broody is about 10-11, oldest nonbroody was 9-10, but I lose ones of both groups at various ages

 

[Debbie292d]

Anyone know if hens that goes broody and hatch eggs live longer than hens that are not allowed to sit? Usually chickens that lay a lot end up with reproductive issues that greatly shorten their life, but if a hen is allowed to breed, she will take a break from egg laying. Do you think this might preserve her reproductive system better?

I personally have stopped letting my silkies be broody from spring to fall (hard to isolate them in the winter). They have been hugely noticeably much prettier and healthier looking since I've disallowed them to be broody.

Thus, I believe mine will live longer because they're healthier than those sitting on eggs or in my case, sitting on nothing at all for weeks at a time.

 

[SourRoses]

I thought the question was going to be, does the stress of childcare shorten a broodys life? LOL

I mean, it is hard on them. 3 weeks of barely eating enough, then barely able to take baths without chicks sitting on their heads and scooching under their wings.
We recently let ours go broody this summer instead of fighting them all summer like last year. It's easier on us not having to raise chicks in the heat! Some hens go off laying in these temperatures anyway.
So there are many variables, you'd have to directly compare the same breed/bloodline, in the same environment and housing, on the same feed, and then let some go broody and raise chicks while others are never allowed (clearly marked hens). You'd have to test it at a big enough scale to get meaningful data.