Identifying age of adult chickens

[BlueShadow]

i have a group of hens, got them as adults. I would like to know how old they are. Is there any way to tell age in adult birds? If I could even just identify a younger bird vs an old hen, that would be helpful. They are all Buckeyes.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sometimes older birds get thicker legs, but not always. Otherwise it can be hard to tell once they are mature.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well this is going to sound dumb, but older birds look old. They walk more stiffly, they look a bit more ratty, more wrinkled. Just look a bit old. Check their beaks, they look a bit longer, and their feet and legs, thicker and not as shiny. They should all be laying eggs now. Pick them up and check their vents, should be shiny, check the pin bones, should be more than 3-4 fingers apart. Cull the non-layers. Then look again.

 

[BlueShadow]

So a hen that looks reasonably nice and is laying size large eggs at a reasonable rate is probably not too old?

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes, I would say she is under 2.5 years old.

 

[Mrs. K]

Might not get as many eggs next year, that would be a good time to cull her in the fall of next year. Unless you think she is old... they will molt and get all shinny, and that can fool you a bit... but old looks old, and does not lay well.

 

[aart]

i have a group of hens, got them as adults. I would like to know how old they are. Is there any way to tell age in adult birds? If I could even just identify a younger bird vs an old hen, that would be helpful. They are all Buckeyes.

Posting some pics would help.
Where did you get them, their age wasn't given?

Pick them up and check their vents, should be shiny, check the pin bones, should be more than 3-4 fingers apart.

Depends on the size of your fingers I have fairly wide fingers...and also the bird in question, some are just bigger than others.
Comparing the birds and the time of experience/practice will make these exams easier.

Vent Appearance:
Dry, tight, and smaller - usually not laying.
Moist, wide, and larger - usually laying.

Pelvic Points, feel for the 2 bony points(pelvic bones F-F) on either side of vent:
Less than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means not laying.
More than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means laying.
(Spacing is relative with chickens size and humans finger size.)

 

[BlueShadow]

Posting some pics would help.
Where did you get them, their age wasn't given?

As always, you ask most excellent questions. I left out the details for simplicity sake. They actually aren't MY birds (or I would have pics for you), they belong to a friend. Her dad died last winter, these were his birds, my friend got them this spring, so no one knows their age. They are just the leftover Buckeyes that for one reason or another he did not get rid of while he was sick. She has been having some issues with hatching from these birds, and I was curious if age was a possible factor. Seems probably not.

Depends on the size of your fingers I have fairly wide fingers...and also the bird in question, some are just bigger than others.

Hehe, I was wondering the same thing. I have been doing a bit of palpating on my birds as you describe, and even my very best laying hen was only 3.5 fingers width. And if they are 2 fingers, they aren't laying anything anymore.

 

[aart]

Hatching issues could be the age of the hens or the cockbird...
...diet can play a role too.....
...or could be an incubator issue(there are plenty of those).

The pin bone spacing, and vent appearance, is most effective when you are even more familiar with the birds....more of a comparison tool than an absolute measurement.
It may change as they age, I use it mostly on pullets, but have found it telling with older birds to.

 

[BlueShadow]

Hatching issues could be the age of the hens or the cockbird...
...diet can play a role too.....
...or could be an incubator issue(there are plenty of those).

The pin bone spacing, and vent appearance, is most effective when you are even more familiar with the birds....more of a comparison tool than an absolute measurement.
It may change as they age, I use it mostly on pullets, but have found it telling with older birds to.

Well I have some pullets and a 2 yo hen from her dad, too, so I have birds of known ages from the same breeding stock I can compare to. In this case, I think there are a few minor incubator issues going on and probably a big role of diet, given that my chicks hatch healthy and few of hers hatch, those that do aren't healthy. The biggest question was simply, should we keep these birds and try again next year? And I think the answer is yes, address the known issues, try again next year, and see how that goes before blaming the parent stock.