Hybrid breeds lifespan

[My Three Chicks]

Do all hybrids have shorter lifespans compared to heritage breeds? I know if varies by individual chickens and their environment of course. I am not talking about those hybrids bred for high egg productions, but those that are bred for other characteristics such as appearance/plumage, etc.
For example I love some of Meyer Hatchery Exclusives like the Steele Egger. But for me it’s important to have healthy chickens with long lifespans as they are pets to me.
https://meyerhatchery.com/products/Steele-Egger-Day-Old-Chicks-p242963882

 

[NatJ]

Do all hybrids have shorter lifespans compared to heritage breeds?

Being a hybrid does not automatically give them a longer or a shorter lifespan. It will depend on what parents are used to create the hybrid, and what they have been selected for.

Hybrids are sometims healthier and longer lived than pure breeds (less inbreeding), if they are from a cross of two breeds with good health & lifespans. On the other hand, the hybrids that are selected to be extremely good at egg production can have shorter lives because they are prone to reproductive issues, and the hybrieds selected for extreme meat production (like Cornish Cross broilers) tend to have very short lives indeed (if they aren't butchered at a young age, they often have health problems before they even mature enough to lay eggs.)

I know if varies by individual chickens and their environment of course. I am not talking about those hybrids bred for high egg productions, but those that are bred for other characteristics such as appearance/plumage, etc.
For example I love some of Meyer Hatchery Exclusives like the Steele Egger. But for me it’s important to have healthy chickens with long lifespans as they are pets to me.
https://meyerhatchery.com/products/Steele-Egger-Day-Old-Chicks-p242963882

I think the only way to know for sure is to try them, but I do not see any reason why they would have a shorter life than either parent breed.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Being a hybrid does not automatically give them a longer or a shorter lifespan. It will depend on what parents are used to create the hybrid, and what they have been selected for.

Hybrids are sometims healthier and longer lived than pure breeds (less inbreeding), if they are from a cross of two breeds with good health & lifespans. On the other hand, the hybrids that are selected to be extremely good at egg production can have shorter lives because they are prone to reproductive issues, and the hybrieds selected for extreme meat production (like Cornish Cross broilers) tend to have very short lives indeed (if they aren't butchered at a young age, they often have health problems before they even mature enough to lay eggs.)


I think the only way to know for sure is to try them, but I do not see any reason why they would have a shorter life than either parent breed.

I know of some australorps and amaricanas that lived upwards of seven years, and I think the oldest died at ten or eleven.

meat birds though, those are a different story. had eight, one died in about a month after not growing at all. (the exact opposite of what you want in a cornish cross!)

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Being a hybrid does not automatically give them a longer or a shorter lifespan. It will depend on what parents are used to create the hybrid, and what they have been selected for.

Hybrids are sometims healthier and longer lived than pure breeds (less inbreeding), if they are from a cross of two breeds with good health & lifespans. On the other hand, the hybrids that are selected to be extremely good at egg production can have shorter lives because they are prone to reproductive issues, and the hybrieds selected for extreme meat production (like Cornish Cross broilers) tend to have very short lives indeed (if they aren't butchered at a young age, they often have health problems before they even mature enough to lay eggs.)


I think the only way to know for sure is to try them, but I do not see any reason why they would have a shorter life than either parent breed.

2x. If you look at the breed reviews section for extreme egg production hybrids like Red Star, you will see practically nothing but complaints about them dying from being egg bound and the like before they even reached one year old. Though, it all depends on which strains you mix together—whether they are healthy or not.

 

[cubalaya]

you ever hear of hybrid vigor? its true

 

[My Three Chicks]

Being a hybrid does not automatically give them a longer or a shorter lifespan. It will depend on what parents are used to create the hybrid, and what they have been selected for.

Hybrids are sometims healthier and longer lived than pure breeds (less inbreeding), if they are from a cross of two breeds with good health & lifespans. On the other hand, the hybrids that are selected to be extremely good at egg production can have shorter lives because they are prone to reproductive issues, and the hybrieds selected for extreme meat production (like Cornish Cross broilers) tend to have very short lives indeed (if they aren't butchered at a young age, they often have health problems before they even mature enough to lay eggs.)


I think the only way to know for sure is to try them, but I do not see any reason why they would have a shorter life than either parent breed.

Thank you for the response. That all makes sense and I’m happy to hear! I just love all the interesting mixes.