I've had a small flock now for 5-6 yrs, mostly common hens, nothing exotic until I got a Brahma rooster and hen. Some are rescues, a few I raised from babies. I've rarely had a hen live past 5 yrs old. I believe we had one die from extreme heat, even though I was trying to keep them cool. The others (aside from predators) we've lost have been a mystery. They'd be eating and drinking fine, then not eat or drink as often and want to stay off in a corner of the yard by themselves--or I'd go out and find one dead with no indication of why. We even did an autopsy on one and no, she wasn't egg bound.
We dust them for lice/mites, their water is changed frequently, and we buy Purina crumbles and let then out in the yard in the summer occasionally. They live in a large area...the pen is about 40'x30'. We're building a new henhouse now that will be much larger than what they currently have (and the yard will double in size too), and we're even going to insulate the coop so they don't roast or freeze, depending on the temperature (we're in the Pacific NW but it does get into the teens in the winter, or a bit lower and 90s in the summer for a couple of weeks).
My favorite hen is my oldest one I've ever had--she's now 6 and is in perfect health. But we lost one today that had been acting strange for a few days, then today I found her laying down and she couldn't stand up...no balance, and she'd topple over, so we had to put her down. She was probably 4 1/2. We live in a rural area where the Vets work on horses, cows, dogs, cats, sheep...that's about it. I've called before but gotten very little help.
So should I expect my hens to get sick or weak or die when they hit 5 or 6 or 7? Of course, my older girls aren't laying anymore, but I keep them around because they're as much pets as layers.
We dust them for lice/mites, their water is changed frequently, and we buy Purina crumbles and let then out in the yard in the summer occasionally. They live in a large area...the pen is about 40'x30'. We're building a new henhouse now that will be much larger than what they currently have (and the yard will double in size too), and we're even going to insulate the coop so they don't roast or freeze, depending on the temperature (we're in the Pacific NW but it does get into the teens in the winter, or a bit lower and 90s in the summer for a couple of weeks).
My favorite hen is my oldest one I've ever had--she's now 6 and is in perfect health. But we lost one today that had been acting strange for a few days, then today I found her laying down and she couldn't stand up...no balance, and she'd topple over, so we had to put her down. She was probably 4 1/2. We live in a rural area where the Vets work on horses, cows, dogs, cats, sheep...that's about it. I've called before but gotten very little help.
So should I expect my hens to get sick or weak or die when they hit 5 or 6 or 7? Of course, my older girls aren't laying anymore, but I keep them around because they're as much pets as layers.
they're my smartest chickens, but the biggest troublemakers!! They stopped laying last year. 
I hope. And I notice she runs from the door to the tree faster than any of the others so as not to be out in the open.
