How do you make a chicken live longer?

[Morrigan]

Joining the "free range envy club." I love the idea of chickens on your doorstep, and pecking around the woods. However, if I did that, I would cease to have chickens. We live in an area overrun with predators. My wonderful husband fenced off, and then netted over, a huge area for our birds, so they could have free-rangish life. After we learned that fences are not foolproof, he installed an electric fence. Even with Fort Knox here, we still lost 2 birds last year. One to hawk that squeezed through a 1 foot wide gap in the netting (now sealed), and a second to a weasel who slipped in when the electric fence went down for a couple of hours after a heavy rainstorm. I swear, they are circling our yard, just waiting and waiting.

 

[FlyWheel]

Pretty much the way you help any thing live longer. A good diet, not a lot of treats, exercise, Reduce stress, no smoking or drinking.

 

[Hyper_Chicken05]

Pretty much the way you help any thing live longer. A good diet, not a lot of treats, exercise, Reduce stress, no smoking or drinking.

How do you give a chicken exercise?. And I have the smoking and drinking part sorted LOL

 

[BantyChooks]

How do you give a chicken exercise?. And I have the smoking and drinking part sorted LOL

Plenty of space. I let my birds run out of food now and then to encourage foraging.

 

[peckpeckpeck]

I'm with you @Hyper_Chicken05
My chickens have become part of my family and I don't eat family.

Right now I stopped eating chicken meat. Just can't do it & look the girls in the face.

I know a lot of people here choose to cull. I personally will let my girls live out their lives for as long as I can, same as my dog. That's my choice.

 

[ChihuahuaChick]

Pretty much the way you help any thing live longer. A good diet, not a lot of treats, exercise, Reduce stress, no smoking or drinking.

And don't forget to floss every day!

 

[Hyper_Chicken05]

I'm with you @Hyper_Chicken05
My chickens have become part of my family and I don't eat family.

Right now I stopped eating chicken meat. Just can't do it & look the girls in the face.

I know a lot of people here choose to cull. I personally will let my girls live out their lives for as long as I can, same as my dog. That's my choice.

I’m fine with eating chicken, but I don’t eat much of it. As long as the chicken is not one I know and raised it’s fine. But If it’s tortured and caged then I won’t eat it. ( Its too yummy lol)