Longevity - what happens in the end?

[Mrs. K]

Well, I would be quite surprised if they lived 4-5 years. Mine often times go around 2.5 -3.5 years. But that is a huge give or take, and you can loose them at any time, a lot of chickens are not real long lived. Some people get so upset, I wonder if chickens are a good hobby for them.

I am glad you did not fill your coop the first year, but am hesitant to ask, so many pre-fab coops say they hold 6 birds...that 6 birds become a red flag...so what are the dimensions of your coop? If it is a prefab coop, thank goodness you don't have 6 chickens, and disregard the rest of this advice.

I would add 2-3 chicks each year... or at least, every other year. Your flock gets used to adding new birds, and very often you will loose a couple over the year. I keep a flock, and the birds in the flock, come and go.

If you have a pre fab coop, do not add any more birds, until your current birds are gone, they just do not have much room for adding birds.

Mrs K

 

[Bodhisan]

Our three ladies have about 350 sq. ft. They appear to be very, very happy. They usually “fly like heck” for 20’ as I let them out to the extended run every morning - so, you’re right - they love that space.

 

[Bodhisan]

Well, I would be quite surprised if they lived 4-5 years. Mine often times go around 2.5 -3.5 years. But that is a huge give or take, and you can loose them at any time, a lot of chickens are not real long lived. Some people get so upset, I wonder if chickens are a good hobby for them.

I am glad you did not fill your coop the first year, but am hesitant to ask, so many pre-fab coops say they hold 6 birds...that 6 birds become a red flag...so what are the dimensions of your coop? If it is a prefab coop, thank goodness you don't have 6 chickens, and disregard the rest of this advice.

I would add 2-3 chicks each year... or at least, every other year. Your flock gets used to adding new birds, and very often you will loose a couple over the year. I keep a flock, and the birds in the flock, come and go.

If you have a pre fab coop, do not add any more birds, until your current birds are gone, they just do not have much room for adding birds.

Mrs K

Thanks for the warning on your chickens going at 2.5-3.5 years so I won't be shocked if that happens. Hey, that will be 2.5-3.5 years of "living" a good life. My coop is an old 8' x 10' shed with a 10' x 10' covered/predator-proof run, and an extended run with bird netting that's l-shaped, and as I said above, about 350 sq. ft. We should be able to easily have six chickens at a time. I know I won't be getting the same breed chicken (I don't even know for sure what they are!), as we won't be buying from the same place again - it was a straight run, and we did have two roosters we had to give up (that didn't add anything good to the hens' anxiety level when they were taken away). If my girls live to be four, I should probably wait and get birds every two years - but that will all just vary, depending breed, etc., and all the conditions outlined by posts in this thread. And I doubt I'll find any reliable pattern in the next 20 years!

 

[CluckerFamily]

You could try pulling up a log to sit in the run with them before letting them out, if you have time. Or even at dusk when they are back in the run before heading to the coop, you can just calmly tell them about your day or what your day will be like. Just you sitting

And, you know, we got these chickens when they were 3-4 weeks old, and while we attempted to befriend them, it didn't go real well, so we abandoned even trying - it seemed to stress them too much (they were born in June). I like your idea of the playpen, though I am leaning towards wanting to integrate a "brooder" (with heating pad) inside the coop somehow, but was planning on spending lots of time with them on a daily basis so that they aren't scared of my wife and me.

I meant to tell you, too, that I liked hearing that most of yours have been discovered in the morning, haven "fallen" from the roost...but isn't that how we all want to go?

You could try pulling up a log to sit in the run with them before letting them out, if you have time. Or even at dusk when they are back in the run before heading to the coop, you can just calmly tell them about your day or what your day will be like. Just you sitting there calmly talking will get them to trust you more.

 

[Mrs. K]

OH if you have that kind of space, then yes, I would add a couple each year. I have found that people that keep a single existing flock, without ever adding birds, really can have a hard time, when they do try to add birds. But do do what works for you, over time, you will find this works this time, that works next time.

I currently have 5...getting a solid 3 a day...truthfully with just me and my hubby, do not need more...haha - will be adding a few in the spring.

Mrs K

 

[Chickassan]

Ok, yeah it is challenging getting trust even when a mere couple weeks has passed.crazy isn't it?
Did you know even a few days makes things harder?
Your brooder inside the coop idea is cool a time and trouble saver for sure.
A little advice since enjoyment of your birds and an easier,future may be interesting .
Do your research so when you' are ready for kids you'll be somewhat knowledgeable and extra importantly happy..
Brood this 1 batch inside and let them see you as much as possible, handle them daily too even for just a sec or two.
Use the playpen it is important.
You'll make chicks that trust you almost unconditionally this way.
Your trust kiddos will put out a good word for you as long as they live!
Makes everything so much easier if at least one vouches for your character.
Im really glad sharing my flocks death experiences helped you.
My guys are pets ,fun, eggs in that order when somebody passes im a mess.
The fact it is so fast peacefully while they sleep keeps me at a more composed level of mess.

And, you know, we got these chickens when they were 3-4 weeks old, and while we attempted to befriend them, it didn't go real well, so we abandoned even trying - it seemed to stress them too much (they were born in June). I like your idea of the playpen, though I am leaning towards wanting to integrate a "brooder" (with heating pad) inside the coop somehow, but was planning on spending lots of time with them on a daily basis so that they aren't scared of my wife and me.

I meant to tell you, too, that I liked hearing that most of yours have been discovered in the morning, haven "fallen" from the roost...but isn't that how we all want to go?

 

[fuentemoon]

Hello from Oregon,
We have 3 hens, one buff orpington whom we adore and who adopted us after we found her in our front yard, she will have been with us 3 years come the 26th. How old she was when we found her we don't know. We got 2 black australrop chicks a couple months later so they are also coming up on 3 years old. We have been buying eggs all fall. This is the first fall winter with no eggs from anyone, I am sure they will all likely lay again come spring if not as often, but now that I know, my plan is new chicks every 2 years when possible.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've gathered that our girls will slow down and possibly stop laying around 5-6 years of age. My thought was to get three more in about three-four years, which would keep us in the eggs, while allowing the three mature hens to wind things up. Or should we wait 4-5 years?

Also, when we do get three more hens, will the three originals, who will then be 3-4 years old (or 4-5 years old), be alpha, or will they be "weaker?" Just curious.

If eggs are important you'd want to rotate in new birds every 1-2 years. They can decline in laying much faster than you realize (though each individual will vary). My older birds are 4 1/2 and one has completely stopped since last year, the other two are down to about 6 months of production a year and 3 eggs a week, vs about 8 months of production and 5-6 eggs a week in their prime.

So far in my flock most of the older birds have remained higher ranked than the younger ones, but pecking order is something that's always changing and the dynamics in each individual flock may vary greatly.

 

[Bodhisan]

You could try pulling up a log to sit in the run with them before letting them out, if you have time. Or even at dusk when they are back in the run before heading to the coop, you can just calmly tell them about your day or what your day will be like. Just you sitting


You could try pulling up a log to sit in the run with them before letting them out, if you have time. Or even at dusk when they are back in the run before heading to the coop, you can just calmly tell them about your day or what your day will be like. Just you sitting there calmly talking will get them to trust you more.

Right down our alley - and between my wife and me, we see them several times a day, giving them treats and chatting with them. Two will eat out of our hands (only with the fence between us - except when I give them some scrambled eggs, and two will peck from the plate I hold out), but the "runt" never has, even when they were younger. I still think we took two steps back when they witnessed the two roos being taken away.

Ok, yeah it is challenging getting trust even when a mere couple weeks has passed.crazy isn't it?
Did you know even a few days makes things harder?
Your brooder inside the coop idea is cool a time and trouble saver for sure.
A little advice since enjoyment of your birds and an easier,future may be interesting .
Do your research so when you' are ready for kids you'll be somewhat knowledgeable and extra importantly happy..
Brood this 1 batch inside and let them see you as much as possible, handle them daily too even for just a sec or two.
Use the playpen it is important.
You'll make chicks that trust you almost unconditionally this way.
Your trust kiddos will put out a good word for you as long as they live!
Makes everything so much easier if at least one vouches for your character.
Im really glad sharing my flocks death experiences helped you.
My guys are pets ,fun, eggs in that order when somebody passes im a mess.
The fact it is so fast peacefully while they sleep keeps me at a more composed level of mess.

This all makes sense, and when we got our chickens in July, nobody had chicks around, and I didn't want to wait until spring. I'm really looking forward to trying it from the chick age. And I'd say that your order of priority is exactly ours, as well.

If eggs are important you'd want to rotate in new birds every 1-2 years. They can decline in laying much faster than you realize (though each individual will vary). My older birds are 4 1/2 and one has completely stopped since last year, the other two are down to about 6 months of production a year and 3 eggs a week, vs about 8 months of production and 5-6 eggs a week in their prime.

So far in my flock most of the older birds have remained higher ranked than the younger ones, but pecking order is something that's always changing and the dynamics in each individual flock may vary greatly.

As above, I'd say eggs are not the top priority (I thought they were when we began in the summer creating their habitat), and I also think about poop and food, so I don't want to create an imbalance of pets vs. eggs, so it sounds like a rotation of every two years getting two or three chicks might work. I certainly don't want eight or nine at any time - but who knows! At some point, there may be ten out there.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You won't have enough for averages to mean much. A lot of us don't. Some chickens can live 7 years or more. Many don't. Just one that dies young or lives exceptionally long can throw your averages way off. You will have your own unique experience with that.

Egg laying is the same. If you have a really large flock egg production follows a clear pattern. The flock lays well the first year they lay. A pullet may skip (or may not) skip the molt her first fall/winter and lay until the molt the following fall (another variable). After their first adult molt the hens lay really well the next laying season. After their second adult molt production drops noticeably but the flock still lays. You will get eggs. How much will depend on breed, some breeds don't lay that well to start with. After each adult molt that follows egg production really drops. As they get old egg quality can decline too.

But each hen is an individual. Some lay really well later in life, some don't lay that well to start with. There is no way to predict how any one individual of yours will lay. Just one not being "average" can really throw your small flock off. Again you will have your own unique experiences.

I add new pullets every year but my goals are different from yours. Since eggs are not that high a priority for you I'd think adding pullets every three years might do for an initial plan, but you'll need to be flexible and go by what you see. I've yet to have a plan work out exactly the way I thought it would.