Looking for Advice on Caring for Elderly Hens

[Hishigata]

I frequently see posts stating that chickens live to be 8-13 years old on average and up to 16-20! However, I rarely see information on caring for elderly hens. I had a pair of hens who turned 6 this spring and one creeping up on 7. They are all still laying, only late winter to late spring, around 50-70 eggs a year.

Recently the oldest hen has been spending more time in her coop, leaving the roost later and going to bed earlier. She is still very agile and able to move when she wants and has a good appetite, despite the punishing summer heat. Her poop has had some undigested food chunks (bits of corn and some leaf bits) which makes me think that she is not digesting her food as efficiently as she used to.

Does anyone have recommendations for how best to care for 6+ year old hens? Should I prepare her a mash instead of dry food? What is the average age for hens in your flock? I feel like most people seem to have lots of 1-2 year olds, a couple of 4-6 year old hens but I rarely come across 10+ which makes me think it is less an average and more an aberration.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

A fermented feed could be a good option. This BYC article has a great formula:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ter-easy-fermented-feed-method-w-video.65375/

 

[anvia]

We’ve had some older girls - we had a trio of ex battery hens who came to us together, two lived for around seven years with us and the third sadly was taken by a predator at around 9 years with us. Assuming they were around 18 months old when we got them - that puts them at around 8 & 10 years old.
Our two 7+ year olds went through the henpause a good year before they died, both went in their sleep overnight within 6 months of each other. One was top matriarch right until the end.
Our third girl Sally - you’d never have guessed her age! she was still regularly laying at 9, sadly she was killed by a domestic dog.
None had special feed - they lived in a flock with younger birds and happily lived as “ordinary” hens. Helping the older girls through the henopause was fairly simple - plenty of warm baths & lots of haemorrhoid cream. We had a few stuck eggs, shell less eggs, very odd eggs... and baths were at one point a daily occurrence- Rosie would turn up at the back door and demand her bath. It was very sad when they passed but so nice to have commercial hens reach a good natural age.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I am going to do some more research as there are not many articles or information on this.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

If I am successful then I will tell you some things that I found out.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have never come even close, 4+ was my oldest girl.

 

[snow5164]

You know if henapause is like my experience was it’s just puberty in reverse.

Soft eggs, small eggs , sleepy , grumpy and wants salty chocolate... oh wait that’s me

 

[Compost King]

Do elderly Hens go broody after their egg laying days are done? I plan on keeping any Hen that goes broody as long as they keep going broody. I am finding my Hen raised Chickens forage better than Brooder chicks at least until they start laying then the Brooder hen start free ranging much better.

 

[anvia]

Do elderly Hens go broody after their egg laying days are done? I plan on keeping any Hen that goes broody as long as they keep going broody. I am finding my Hen raised Chickens forage better than Brooder chicks at least until they start laying then the Brooder hen start free ranging much better.

Ours never did - but they were a commercial breed so they were never broody anyway. Some breeds are broodier than others.

 

[Compost King]

My marans go broody and so does a certain mutt I have. Hoping my young Cochins, Silkies and Dorkings are broody. I like my incubator but I prefer to have mama hens do the work.