Do chickens pass from natural causes (old age)?

[mac853]

There wasn’t a lot of info on the webs about this, mostly about sudden chicken death syndrome. We have an Isa Brown (3.5 years old) who has been on and off low activity, but today was probably her worst day. It got cold this week (~20 degrees) and windy so that’s probably not helping matters. She still ate bugs this morning and was walking around the run scavenging, but she couldn’t fly up to the ramp we have for them to walk from outside to inside. I just feel like she’ll pass away soon. Do chickens die from old age? It’s a dumb question but they die from a lot of other things it seems like. And I know Isas have a shorter life span because they’re bred for laying. She’s my favorite and I don’t want to lose her .

She was huddled up vertically inside the coop earlier sleeping.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes they do, just like humans, as systems start slowing down or breaking down. I just had one of my 7 1/2 year old hens pass away, apparently from a heart attack, on Thanksgiving morning. She'd become noticeably slower over the last year, started eating less, sleeping a lot more, lost sight in one eyes, and struggled to roost until she gave up on it. That morning she was wandering around and then a younger bird started pecking her. She started making gasping squawks, went limp, and was dead about a minute later.

 

[chickmes]

There wasn’t a lot of info on the webs about this, mostly about sudden chicken death syndrome. We have an Isa Brown (3.5 years old) who has been on and off low activity, but today was probably her worst day. It got cold this week (~20 degrees) and windy so that’s probably not helping matters. She still ate bugs this morning and was walking around the run scavenging, but she couldn’t fly up to the ramp we have for them to walk from outside to inside. I just feel like she’ll pass away soon. Do chickens die from old age? It’s a dumb question but they die from a lot of other things it seems like. And I know Isas have a shorter life span because they’re bred for laying. She’s my favorite and I don’t want to lose her .

She was huddled up vertically inside the coop earlier sleeping.

https://www.chickensandmore.com/isa-brown/

Sadly, it looks like you're right. This was a sweet article so I'm sharing it for you and your beautiful Isa Brown.

 

[mac853]

Yes they do, just like humans, as systems start slowing down or breaking down. I just had one of my 7 1/2 year old hens pass away, apparently from a heart attack, on Thanksgiving morning. She'd become noticeably slower over the last year, started eating less, sleeping a lot more, lost sight in one eyes, and struggled to roost until she gave up on it. That morning she was wandering around and then a younger bird started pecking her. She started making gasping squawks, went limp, and was dead about a minute later.

Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss. Our hens feel like part of our family and I’m sure yours do too.
I don’t want her to suffer at the end and a minute feels like an eternity. Maybe it’s not. Do you think the younger bird played a role?

We have had 2 pass away from heart attacks as well but they were only 2 years old at the time and not showing any signs of sickness that day.

 

[Eggcessive]

Your state vet is a good way to find out what a chicken dies of when you ask for a necropsy. 2 years seems young for one to die. They may have a laying or reproductive problem, and a respiratory virus infectious bronchitis can cause many reproductive problems later on. Here is a list of state vets to contact if you lose another:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[mac853]

Your state vet is a good way to find out what a chicken dies of when you ask for a necropsy. 2 years seems young for one to die. They may have a laying or reproductive problem, and a respiratory virus infectious bronchitis can cause many reproductive problems later on. Here is a list of state vets to contact if you lose another:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Thank you!
They both were Americaunos. Liberty died in the spring and Justice died sometime last year (yes, Liberty and Justice).

We also have a chicken with a respiratory infection who seems to be getting better but passed it to a younger chicken. We don’t really have the money to get a vet visit or antibiotics and stuff, so I was going to incorporate VetRx into their water tomorrow. I’m almost certain the respiratory infection doesn’t have anything to do with our older chicken. She is probably susceptible to it but hasn’t shown signs yet.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss. Our hens feel like part of our family and I’m sure yours do too.
I don’t want her to suffer at the end and a minute feels like an eternity. Maybe it’s not. Do you think the younger bird played a role?

Thank you. And possibly the younger bird contributed. I did intervene because the old girl was being pecked quite insistently and she couldn't move well enough to get away. But she's been struggling since summer. She didn't seem to be in pain so I set up a nest box for her to sleep in. I fully expected to lose her when she began molting as she wasn't eating at all and spent most of the day curled up asleep. She made it through molt and started putting a little weight back on. But I knew she wasn't likely going to make it through the winter.

 

[mac853]

Thank you!
They both were Americaunos. Liberty died in the spring and Justice died sometime last year (yes, Liberty and Justice).

We also have a chicken with a respiratory pop infection who seems to be getting better but passed it to a younger chicken. We don’t really have the money to get a vet visit or antibiotics and stuff, so I was going to incorporate VetRx into their water tomorrow. I’m almost certain the respiratory infection doesn’t have anything to do with our older chicken. She is probably susceptible to it but hasn’t shown signs yet.

Thank you. And possibly the younger bird contributed. I did intervene because the old girl was being pecked quite insistently and she couldn't move well enough to get away. But she's been struggling since summer. She didn't seem to be in pain so I set up a nest box for her to sleep in. I fully expected to lose her when she began molting as she wasn't eating at all and spent most of the day curled up asleep. She made it through molt and started putting a little weight back on. But I knew she wasn't likely going to make it through the winter.

 

[mac853]

Thank you. And possibly the younger bird contributed. I did intervene because the old girl was being pecked quite insistently and she couldn't move well enough to get away. But she's been struggling since summer. She didn't seem to be in pain so I set up a nest box for her to sleep in. I fully expected to lose her when she began molting as she wasn't eating at all and spent most of the day curled up asleep. She made it through molt and started putting a little weight back on. But I knew she wasn't likely going to make it through the winter.

Most of ours are molting right now, our older one is not so that’s weird as it’s opposite from your experience.

Ours I’d say spends her day 50/50 scavenging and sleeping. Maybe more sleeping, 60/40? She has always LOVED food so she’s always out. The last few days I’ve been taking her inside the coop because it’s really cold and she’ll sit outside sleeping by herself. Maybe I should make her a little box. But the other chickens would totally take it…

 

[rosemarythyme]

The last few days I’ve been taking her inside the coop because it’s really cold and she’ll sit outside sleeping by herself. Maybe I should make her a little box. But the other chickens would totally take it…

Yeah mine was sleeping overnight in the brooder in the run most of the summer and fall - even though the run isn't predator secure she was pretty well holed up in there and away from run walls so I didn't sweat it. Once it started getting colder she did start returning to the coop and crawling into a nest box (since they're floor height), but since everyone had stopped laying by then I blocked off the other boxes and that just left her the one to sleep in. Since our other birds don't sleep in the nests that worked out fine for the last month or so of her life.