How do you make a chicken live longer?

[Hyper_Chicken05]

My barnevelder haven't made it past 6-8 years, I haven't found them to live longer than other breeds.

Oh ok, that’s fine. At least they Can live up to 8 years, the bad thing would be if they live 4-6 years

 

[Josh0625]

Giving them a balanced diet and adequate care including exercise is really all you can do!!

 

[chickens really]

Great question for a thread.... Lots of replies...
Keep the feed Balanced and understand the Breed you chose..Chickens are complex and require total commitment as far as management and feed goes...They will eat treats for days and all come running for them...Not good to over treat them..Free range is Good but don't overlook the need for balanced feed...Chickens are easy if all things are considered.

 

[BantyChooks]

Just like with humans, good health care is of top importance. This includes timely worming and lice and mite control along with vaccinations. While it is soothing to watch a flock of free range hens scratching in your backyard, free ranging has its own set of health problems. There are many more opportunities for predators to snatch your birds and for parasites like worms, mites, lice, certain insects, slugs and snails to infect your flock with all manner of diseases and life threatening internal parasites.

And keeping them in a run to pick up internal and external parasites again and again is any better?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

And keeping them in a run to pick up internal and external parasites again and again is any better?

I would agree. Mine are completely free range. My oldest is 10 years old. Another is 9, a few are 8, and so on down the line. How long they live seems random. It's best to focus on quality of life, not quantity. My chickens are very happy no matter how long they live. That's more important to me.

 

[BantyChooks]

That's more important to me.

Absolutely agree. I have noticed an enormous shift in the welfare of my birds when I free-ranged. I didn't have a small run, either. For a while I had bad enough dog problems that free ranging was idiocy, now that issue has been removed and my birds are not targeted by anything except a few hawks. Even then, they're safer free ranging because they have a chance of getting away. Chickengeorgeto: I know, I know, hawks don't just dive after them, lol... still gives them a much better chance.

 

[Chickassan]

The decline in behavior issues alone makes free ranging worth the risk for me. No feather pickers, no crazy aggression they're happy. I don't have nearly the health issues i had when a flock was penned, egg binding, prolapses even parasites are few and far between.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The decline in behavior issues alone makes free ranging worth the risk for me. No feather pickers, no crazy aggression they're happy. I don't have nearly the health issues i had when a flock was penned, egg binding, prolapses even parasites are few and far between.

That's been my experiences as well. I can never go back to the pen, my chickens can't either.

 

[aart]

I am not looking for long living pets, I just want to give my chickens a happy long lifestyle, but hopefully they live 8-10 years.

I think you do want pets.
I keep chickens for food, they give eggs, then are meat in the freezer by age 3.
New group of birds every year to sell enough eggs to pay for feed/supplies year round. I don't have enough space or money to keep pet(non-producing) chickens.
I have a dog for a pet.
Just a different perspective.

 

[Mrs. K]

I am envious of those of you who can free range so totally, I myself, love to have them out scratching and pecking... but I don't like feeding the local wildlife.

As I was out working with my chickens today, I was thinking of this post, and had another thought that I would share. Meticulous records is another way to improve the longevity of your flock birds. Hatching chicks only out of vigorous, healthy birds would help meet your long term plans. It might actually takes some aggressive culling in the beginning so that anything with the least health issue is at least not bred and eggs kept for hatching.

Mrs K