How old is your oldest bird?

[little_grey_bantam]

I was just curious, with so many predators and illnesses (I think of chickens as the McDonald's to all other animals) out there, it makes me wonder how long people have their birds for.

My oldest consists of 2 hens who are 3 - 3 1/2 years old (OEGB & RJF x RIRB)
And a show white silkie hen who was 4-6 when I got her, I believe she was over 5, but who knows... we've had her for over 3 years now? Making her potentially 7-9 years of age.

We also had a hen when I was younger who was OLD OLD OLD beyond her age, over a decade I believe who lived for many years with us... who knows how old she was, but she was OLD!
I just recently sold the rest of my old flock for the newer ones & had dogs eat my oldest rooster, but did keep my bantam babes.

 

[EweSheep]

5 years old, she is a SSHB.

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

Quote:
One of my best laying hens is well over 4 years old now. lays like crazy but has the ugliest legs I've ever seen. Love her cause she seems to love us... Plan to keep her till the predators take her from me.

The oldest chicken I've ever owned was 10 years old and he was the dominant rooster in our flock when i was a kid. He was hatched 3 months before I was born and he and I were bitter enemies. Live till i was about ten then disappeared. Had he lived much past that, I'd have bee the predator to have killed him!!! ROFL. Still have a scar from that evil bird.

Dave

 

[Red&Yellow]

I have two birds that are both 4. One is partridge Plymouth Rock, the other white Plymouth Rock. I don't think either of them lay, though. They're the prettiest of the flock.

 

[speckledhen]

5 1/2 yrs old.

 

[EasterEggersRULE]

My aunt has a 14yr old RR hen and she still lays eggs there small and only about one a week but she still lays !

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

I have only had my current flock for 2 1/2 years, so my oldest are 2 1/2. But as a kid we had a flock of bantams (Mutts, I think. They were given to us, no one told us what they were. All I know is they were a single combed breed with black hens with occasional gold hackles and partridge roosters. They laid cream colored eggs and the roosters were fiesty...) who roamed free. They never even slept in their coop, just roosted in trees. The smart ones lived on average 4-5 years. Some lived longer, many vanished in the night much earlier.

 

[ChickenCrazy4ever]

6 weeks

 

[ChickenGirl3]

1 year and 8 months

 

[JustClucky]

4 weeks. lol I'll come back when we've cheated the odds. ha!