Life span

[henry3]

Hi,
Can anyone tell me, how long to hens generally live, and, is there anyway of telling the age of a chook? I am interested to know if they lay for their whole lives or do they have a chicken menopause?

 

[Beekissed]

Most breeds start to slow down after two years, but there are always the exceptions and I've heard of hens laying fairly regularly up into the 8-10 yr. old range. A lot of folks maintain laying flocks not overbred by hatcheries will lay steadily up to 4-5 years before tapering off.

As far as telling the age of a bird...now, that, I do not know!

You could always check her teeth....