Hi everyone, I am very excited to join the community and learn about chickens. I do not know very much. I have 4 older chickens, 3 years old, and 6 new Columbia rock cross chicks. Unfortunately, I have lost 2 chickens due to illness. I do not know what happened and would like to be more knowledgeable. Is it normal for chickens to die of illness? How long do they live? Thank you so much and hope everyone has a great day.
Hi There!! So glad you joined our flock!! Sorry about your losses. Please feel free to ask any questions you have, we are here to help in any way we can!! And I don't know much about chick illnesses, but I think that chicks are much more vulnerable to catching something, just like any baby is. If the chick is vaccinated, there is less a chance of him/her getting sick. As for how long chickens live: while it obviously depends on the environment, I think that backyard chickens live around 7-10 years, on average. Good luck with your chickens!!
Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about your losses You can post in the Diseases forum if you are trying to figure out what was wrong with your birds. https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures Here is a link to a chicken age poll with over 900 answers https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/522611/official-poll-how-old-is-was-your-oldest-chicken/0_20 some chickens lived for over 16 years, some breeds do live longer than others, commercial crosses bred for egg laying seem to be really prone to reproductive problems as they age.
Welcome! I'm glad you joined us. I'm sorry for the losses of your birds! It is always hard to lose beloved chickens. Unless eaten or killed, chickens can live over 10 years, though some hybrids aren't as hardy. I hope you can find out what was wrong with your birds! Good luck with the rest of your flock.
Some people just cull their hens when they stop laying eggs, so it's hard to guess how many could have had longer lives.
Bienvenida, Lospollitos2015. So glad you joined us. I think you should take Kelsie2290's advice and post details under emergencies to try to make sure you don't have to worry about the rest of your flock. So sorry about your losses, wishing you good health for the rest.
Thank you so I much for the welcoming. I appreciate all the responses. My chickens are a red sex link, a cross between a a rhode island red crossed with a leghorn. We bought them 3 years ago this March. They started laying in late July and each would produce 1 egg a day. Then last summer, we went away for a week and when we came back I noticed that there was ones that did walk, did eat nor drink. She was just lethargic. her poop was very runny and dark. I treated with liquid, yogurt, srambled eggs. I did not notice any wrong with her breathing, no mucus. We thought she an egg stuck and gave her warm baths. Nothing worked, she was ill and died. I did not worry about the rest because I did not see anything contagious. The remaining five were fine, but then the production of eggs declined and we would only get one egg a day. I can't kill them so I decided to keep them as pets. My children are little and they also like the chickens. We got 6 new chicks on Tuesday morning and they have been in a homemade incubator. They are doing fine. This morning I went to give the older chickens food and water and gave them some veggies. When I went back at noon to let them out of the coop, I noticed one of them did not go out. She just stayed in a corner laying down. I picked her up, inspected her. No hard areas I her body, no wounds, but her breathing was heavy and her eyes were half closed. I got her out of the coop, put her in a box and she had seizures and died. It was all so sudden. I cleaned the coop, clean water, new food and hope the rest will be ok. Anyway, i hope my new chicks are healthy, they are called, Columbia white rock cross. I hope everyone has a wonderful week,
Welcome to BackYard Chickens!! I love this website and I hope you do/will too! Can't wait to get to know ya better!
Thank you for great welcome messages. This is like the beginning of a journey. A never-ending journey into chicken country. I am happy the rest of my chickens are healthy. The chicks are growing and getting feathers. I think they are ready for life outside the coziness of our kitchen. I was wondering about the save-a-chick powdered packages they sell. Are they good for the summer when they start getting hot? I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend.
