In your flock, what is the average lifespan of your hens?

[MBBuffs]

Most of my flock was purchased 4 years ago and theyve started to die off. A few more have water belly too.

I’m sorry to hear that. Do you know what they died from?

 

[BDutch]

I hear people repeating that production birds die young all the time, but have never had one die before 9 1/2 years old. Most over 10. Yours live long too. Everyone I know personally that had them didn't experience early deaths with them. Is this some kind of urban myth that people just keep repeating? You hear it often enough it must be true? Or maybe the differences in how they're fed/kept? I often wonder about both possibilities when I hear that repeated.

I don’t think it’s a complete myth they die young in general. I have read too many stories of people who experienced that their high production breeds got serious health problems around 4 - 6 yo.
So I think you are lucky and indeed, you keep your flock in a way they can thrive.

Bc they get so old for production breed I wonder…..
What breed is it you have? There are many different high productions breeds.
What kind of feed do they get? How many on how many square meters/foot inside outside? Do the free range? How harsh is your climate? Did you get yours as young chicks, at point of lay? Bc the ones who were sold as rescues from a commercial farm, often get egg laying problems and rarely seem to live longer than 5yo even in luxury and an abundant amount of space. Do your hens stop laying every autumn/ winter?

Interesting to know: about 100 years ago when farmers started to produce eggs to sell commercially, the average hen only laid about 120 eggs a year.
Source article named ‘Golden eggs’ . Its in Dutch from a governmental statistics department (possible to translate) https://www.cbs.nl/-/media/imported/documents/2001/13/index1137.pdf

I read a lot of interesting things on Save a rescue chicken: https://www.redeenlegkip.nl/ the site has a lot of info in Dutch about common health problems and what to do if… https://www.redeenlegkip.nl/als-je-kip-ziek-is/kippen-ehbo/veel-voorkomende-ziektes-en-problemen/)

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I hear people repeating that production birds die young all the time, but have never had one die before 9 1/2 years old. Most over 10. Yours live long too. Everyone I know personally that had them didn't experience early deaths with them. Is this some kind of urban myth that people just keep repeating? You hear it often enough it must be true? Or maybe the differences in how they're fed/kept? I often wonder about both possibilities when I hear that repeated.

I wonder how many of these production breeds were bought as eggs or chicks, vs how many were 18-20 months old and sold because they were slowing down? (= wearing out)