Lifespan RSL

[Painted Calls]

RSLs are made specifically to be disposable egg machines. They are created to lay lay lay lay. They pay for it with their life. Usually by means of Salpingitis or some other repro tract issue.

If you want pets, don't get sexlinks.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well they do lay lovely eggs, and I have always enjoyed having them in my flock. I keep a flock, and birds come and leave the flock. I am comfortable with that. All birds eventually die, and a lot of birds die around 3-4 years of age. I do know that some people have very old birds, but I don't. It really doesn't bother me, I think of it as the circle of life, and get more chicks.

 

[Painted Calls]

In my experience, only Sexlinks and CX don't make it past 3/4. Most make it to at least 8. Bestie has two twelve year old Orps, a 10 year old bantam Cochin, and two 7 year old Wyandottes. All came from a hatchery. If your husbandry is good, and they don't get any diseases, they live decent lives.

 

[Folly's place]

Predation has been a factor here, especially the year a fox killed ten at once, and then the year our dog killed 28! Both awful days, and not repeated, but we do free range, so disasters can occur.
We do sell young adults sometimes too, so how long does every bird live here? Occasionally to six to ten, but often not.
Mary

 

[Mrs. K]

OveraMare - I see that you live in the southern states. I have long wondered if the more temperate climate aids in the length of bird's life. I also do get winters with cold snaps of -35 degrees. Our day length in December is very short, less than 9.5 hours, with chickens roosting before 4:00 pm and not coming off the roost till nearly 8:00 am. I know I have good husbandry - good feed, clean water, adequate protection.

I have never come close to any bird living 8 years old. I like Folly love to let them out, and have had numerous encounters with the smartest coons at night and coyotes in the day. I too, have addressed that. But even with that the oldest bird I ever had was 4.5 years old.

And the thing is, she was OLD. Stiff, arthritic, crabby and not a good layer. She was a good mother, and had hatched out numerous clutches for me, and she was staying her natural life...but when she died, I was kind of glad, cause really it was not such a good life. I would not want a flock of very old birds.

And it always surprises me, when this comes up. Sometimes I think posts indicating that birds naturally live until they are 8 years old, just make people feel guilty when theirs do not.

Mrs K

 

[Folly's place]

What's the answer? Good husbandry, and when selecting breeding stock, raise chicks from older adults who have never had health issues! That's not going to happen in most breeding facilites, because it's just not economical.
And the youngest bird we've had with salpingitis (infected uterus) was seven MONTHS old! She was a bantam EE, and had no eggs in there on PM.
Last fall we lost three hens, three, four, and five years of age, heart failure and abdominal disasters. Also a two year old hen, same.
The hawk killed two nice two year old hens this year.
Free ranging is a big risk anywhere, and hens do develop health issues way too soon! Dr. Fulton at MSU said that many will be gone by three years of age, very sad.
Mary

 

[Painted Calls]

I think there are a lot of factors that go into it. Location, diet, genetics, and more. I don't let hens sit when broody. That's probably part of my typical lifespans. I don't feed treats other than some fresh veggies every now and then. To say that all chickens live a max of 4 years I think is wrong. That's not always the case. I don't think anyone needs to feel guilty unless they're neglecting or abusing their birds.