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)

 

[dirkandlorie]

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/)

I have always been horrible at measurements/distances so giving you my best estimates. Black sexlinks and gold sexlinks are the breeds I've kept, always from day old chicks. I have/had other breeds also, but these are the sex links breeds. Coop is 14 x14, run is 12 x 12, door always open between them unless severe weather. ( A couple times a year) Coop is sand for easy cleaning, run is deep bedding, both cleaned daily. Some prefer to sleep in coop, some prefer the run side. Feed is 20% protein minimum, could be all flock or chick crumbles depending on what I can find at the store. During molt, I buy game bird feed to mix in to up protein even more. Commercial feed is available 24/7. They are given a pie pan full of mash, mixed greens, diced apples, blueberries, and veggies from the garden, topped with a thyme vinaigrette every afternoon. One pie pan for every 3 girls. Currently have 12 chickens, but prefer a smaller flock of 6. (What to do with all those eggs!) They run around outside as often as weather permits. I have 5 acres, but they seem to limit themselves to about 1/2 acre. Two handfuls of meal worms for the flock when they return to the coop in the evening. They have a fan in summer and a heater in winter and I find them standing in front of both when the weather is extreme. We can get negative temps and degrees over 100. Egg production is good, stops during molt, but still get occasional eggs in winter. To sum up, I don't think I treat them any different than anyone else. Good varied food, clean living conditions, fresh air

 

[MBBuffs]

I have always been horrible at measurements/distances so giving you my best estimates. Black sexlinks and gold sexlinks are the breeds I've kept, always from day old chicks. I have/had other breeds also, but these are the sex links breeds. Coop is 14 x14, run is 12 x 12, door always open between them unless severe weather. ( A couple times a year) Coop is sand for easy cleaning, run is deep bedding, both cleaned daily. Some prefer to sleep in coop, some prefer the run side. Feed is 20% protein minimum, could be all flock or chick crumbles depending on what I can find at the store. During molt, I buy game bird feed to mix in to up protein even more. Commercial feed is available 24/7. They are given a pie pan full of mash, mixed greens, diced apples, blueberries, and veggies from the garden, topped with a thyme vinaigrette every afternoon. One pie pan for every 3 girls. Currently have 12 chickens, but prefer a smaller flock of 6. (What to do with all those eggs!) They run around outside as often as weather permits. I have 5 acres, but they seem to limit themselves to about 1/2 acre. Two handfuls of meal worms for the flock when they return to the coop in the evening. They have a fan in summer and a heater in winter and I find them standing in front of both when the weather is extreme. We can get negative temps and degrees over 100. Egg production is good, stops during molt, but still get occasional eggs in winter. To sum up, I don't think I treat them any different than anyone else. Good varied food, clean living conditions, fresh air

That sounds like a great life for your chickens.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have often wondered if it is more climate than feed? We do have spells of bitter cold. I mean most of us do provide food, water and shelter. I have lost a lot of birds to predators. I have had birds be perfectly fine one day, and dead the next. But truly for me in western SD, 4-5 years old is an old bird.

I worry about posts like these, as there are a lot of people feel very guilty when their birds die at what they consider a young age. Any living thing can die at any age. It is a combination of luck and circumstances.

I do not stress it when birds die, I expect them not to live forever, and die. All life forms suffer this. I do keep my birds pretty well, I have made my mistakes and corrected them. I am careful to keep mine well with clean water, food, and shelter.

IMO, just do the best you can, and give them a good life. The length of the life is really mostly out of your hands.

Mrs K