How long do chickens live?

[Lysystrata]

Excellent info from everyone, thanks. I have an ancient non-laying hen who wandered in 2 months ago and has won my heart. I keep her as a pet but have no practical chicken-keeping experience. A neighbor said she was about 11 years old and he could tell from the thickness of the scales on her legs. Is that true? Can you really tell a chicken's age from the scales on the legs? A few of the neighbors are kinda fullashit. Thx! Lys

 

[hot-hen]

Guys - I have a problem. Regarding aging chickens. I won't eat them, I don't eat meat BUT my husband does and he wants to "retire" them when they stop laying. I take care of our chickens and I don't want to lose them, especially by human hands. My husband says he wont support chickens that are not producing. This makes me sick. I have argued and argued. My 9 chickens are going on 2 years old and laying great but I dread the day they stop. Aside from going to the store and planting eggs in the coop for the next 15 - 20 years (which is what I had planned, LOL), is there such thing as a real sancuary for chickens to go? I have no problem keeping mine but I'm worried about what my husband might do.

You tell him "no". And no means no.

Or, better yet, send me your address and I will come and do it for you.

 

[gigelus2k13]

OK, but beside the posturing, what is a practical way of dealing with this? Just keep them until they die of old age or sickness or predator? After a certain age (be it10 or 15 years), it's a matter of quality of life for them, not just of sentimental attachment from the human owner.

 

[missypebble]

You tell him "no". And no means no.

Or, better yet, send me your address and I will come and do it for you.

I Totally agree with "hot-hen"! I will keep mine until they naturally die on their own, for whatever the cause will be and I will never EVER eat them. Well, it's a given also because I'm a vegetarian by choice. I read many chickens owners enjoy chickens, play with them, care for them, but consume them at the same time....Don't get me wrong here, I respect everyone's opinions, but somehow that's just cruel for me!

 

[missypebble]

my buff orpington Goldilocks is 17 this year and she still lays a very special egg every now and then.
She is starting to look haggard right now though so ill be giving her some extra special attention.
Have fun with your new chicks, ill bet you are excited.
Remember to post when you get your first precious EGG!

17 years???! I want to know how you take care of them!!!

 

[missypebble]

we have 1 rhode island hen left of a batch of 25,,,we got them as day old chicks in 2005,,,in the summer and fall of 2010,,the owls,,,the coyotes,,,and the foxes desimated our flock and Red was the only one left,,,she spent the entire winter alone in the chicken house ,,,,we don't have a heated barn and no electricity out there at the time,,,she slept with the goats and occasionally with the geese,,,,every morning she would make her way over the snow drifts ,,which that year were about 4 ft high,,,and come up to the house to let us know it was food time,,,then she would sit in the sun,,,huddled against the warm backdrop of the dark siding of the porch,,,,she made it thru that long lonely winter,,,and in the spring we got a new patch of white leghorns,,,she taught them everything she knew and when the roosters got big enough to crow she kicked their asses and let them know who was boss,,,,she is 8 years old now ,,,she has never had any disease,,,she is a free range chicken who eats bugs and seeds and has never had an antibiotic ,,,,,she is an inspiration to me,,,I keep every feather she drops for she is my hero!

That's SO SWEET!!!

 

[ras719]

I had to look up this information I found my beloved buff orp roo dead this am when I took the dogs out. He usually crows when the porch light goes on. He went blind last year and was put into a smaller coop with a couple girls for company so it would be easier to find his food. He was only 5 1/2 years old and other than losing his site was in good health. I do want to answer the question for some as to what to do with ledger hens. My farrier has a neighbor, an elderly gentleman who just likes having chickens around. When a few of my birds get to laying less I give them to him. He feeds them all kinds of stuff and loves just to sit on his porch and watch them. Ask around there are people who would love your babies just as much and give them a forever home if you can't. And for those with husbands who want to eat them I simply said I'm not doing it you want it, you kill it, clean it and cook it. Your daughter and I are having KFC, he hasn't killed one yet

 

[danicalir]

Guys - I have a problem. Regarding aging chickens. I won't eat them, I don't eat meat BUT my husband does and he wants to "retire" them when they stop laying. I take care of our chickens and I don't want to lose them, especially by human hands. My husband says he wont support chickens that are not producing. This makes me sick. I have argued and argued. My 9 chickens are going on 2 years old and laying great but I dread the day they stop. Aside from going to the store and planting eggs in the coop for the next 15 - 20 years (which is what I had planned, LOL), is there such thing as a real sancuary for chickens to go? I have no problem keeping mine but I'm worried about what my husband might do.

I know there are some sanctuaries for retired farm animals around, as well as places that rescue and try to find people to adopt unwanted farm animals... I don't know how hard it is to donate your animals, as I expect they have a lot of animals and limited resources, but I'm sure if you look hard enough you could find something! A google search for things like "retired chicken sanctuary" brings up a bunch of options for retired, rescued, and adoptable chickens, especially old non-laying ones. Good luck!

 

[Roy 1]

I realize a lot of people are scratching their heads, I had never thought of it until today, my neighbor has a game rooster that just came there, we used to have another neighbor who had fighting chickes until they went to jail, we think that rooster came from there, but when I seen him today, I thought wow this dude has been here a long time, so we started talking about it and he has been here for well over 20 years, and we don't know how old he was when he came here, so I was just wondering how long do they live

 

[Roy 1]

I'd never give it any thought until today I seen my neighbors rooster that has been here more than 20 years, and we don't know how old he was when he came