Ode to Old Hens... Pictures of the Seniors in Our Flock

[speckledhen]

Speckledhen, are all of your older breeds heritage chickens? We have a flock of production reds (have only had them for a year and a half, but wondering what age we can expect them to live. So far none have been sick and they are our family pets. They are Production Reds (sold as RIRs). Did read this entire thread but don't remember if you only have heritage birds or not. Your birds are amazing.

Thank you. Yes, almost all of them are either breeder stock and/or heritage breeds. A couple of the old Barred Rock hens are daughters of hatchery stock, but only one of my old hens is a direct hatchery gal, my Buff Brahma.

My barred EE hen, Panda, who is 8 years old, is the daughter a hatchery-descended BR rooster with a Blue Ameraucana hen; her half sister has the same mother but her sire was a pure Black Ameraucana male from show stock. That hen, Gypsy, will be 9 years old in November. I do have one EE hen who was from a breeder project to create Salmon Ameraucanas so not sure of her actual heritage-that is June, who is 8 years old now.

I think the further you get from direct-from-the-hatchery birds, the less likely you'll see the reproductive issues. All three of my hatchery RIRs died of internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis or cancer; the longest lived one, Reba, had cancer with only minor internal laying evidence upon necropsy; she made it to 5 years old, but the others very definitely had those nasty cheesy masses in their oviducts and abdomen and passed on before the age of 4.

 

[speckledhen]

Anyone for more old lady pictures?
Becca, 9 1/2 and Ameraucana, Gypsy, who will be 9 in November.

Panda, who is 8 1/2, a BR x Ameraucana cross.

Snow, also 8 1/2, very arthritic, can barely walk. She never dust bathes so we have to keep her dusted with DE to prevent pests.

Amanda, 9 1/2, laying on her side to take pressure off her arthritic hock joints. She cannot walk, though she can thump around slowly.

Again, our Panda-bear, named for Kung-Fu Panda, because she kicked the shell across the incubator when hatching. She is the only progeny of my late beloved rooster, Zane.

Ah, Queen Caroline, going on 10 years old.

Snow again. Very vocal.

The Tiny Terrorist. She is not that old, just 6 1/2, but she is mostly blind now. She can see, just not well at all.

Blue Rocks, Neela and Alice, hatched at the same time as Tiny, 6 1/2 years old.

Caroline guarding Snow.

My Alice Blue. Hey, @Cetawin here's your pretty girl.

 

[Cetawin]

My Becca Becca Becca and beautiful Snow, Gypsy and Alice....even the terrorist I have fond sorta scared sorta warm feelings about.

 

[Cetawin]

And Ammmmanda who made me get wet and muddy crawling under the coop to get her stubborn backside. That gal amazes me with her thinker power and grip....it's a wonder Panda is alive and has both wings attached. Hahahaha

 

[speckledhen]

And Ammmmanda who made me get wet and muddy crawling under the coop to get her stubborn backside. That gal amazes me with her thinker power and grip....it's a wonder Panda is alive and has both wings attached. Hahahaha

Yeah, woe to any hen who walks by her when her "thunker" activates. She can deliver a thrashing from a laying down position that will make any hen scream...except Caroline. Nobody messes with Queen Caroline...or Amanda, if Caroline has anything to say about it.

 

[Huggerlady]

Beautiful oldies! I adopted two hens that look like Alice, a Mother and daughter is a half breed. Just stunning birds, onery Mama's!

 

[speckledhen]

Beautiful oldies! I adopted two hens that look like Alice, a Mother and daughter is a half breed. Just stunning birds, onery Mama's!

Alice is a pretty thing, isn't she? I still have not lost any of these gals, though my Buff Brahma is not feeling well, having trouble breathing lately. She may not make it to 10 years old in January. She is the Queen of All around here.


Funny story about almost 8 year old Delaware, Georgie, though. DH was walking down beside the barn pen, me inside. He was going to pick up something he'd left on a tree stump, when I heard a thud and he called my name. I looked over to see him rolling onto his back. Apparently, he'd stepped on a rock or something that rolled under his foot (he has some numbness in one foot due to his disc issues anyway), and he went down hard on his bad knee, wrenching his back and hip. I ran out of the pen and around to where he was to help him get up and see if he broke anything before noticing that my old Delaware hen, Georgie, had run over to the fence when he fell. Usually, that type of chaotic movement would drive a chicken away, but she was trying to get to him, which I found rather interesting, as well as endearing. She stayed next to the fence watching him until he got up and spoke to her. She adores him, uses his shoulder for a perch like an 8 lb parrot. These old gals are very protective of him, especially the ones who intervene when the Tiny Terrorist attacks him.

 

[Huggerlady]

Alice is a pretty thing, isn't she? I still have not lost any of these gals, though my Buff Brahma is not feeling well, having trouble breathing lately. She may not make it to 10 years old in January. She is the Queen of All around here.


Funny story about almost 8 year old Delaware, Georgie, though. DH was walking down beside the barn pen, me inside. He was going to pick up something he'd left on a tree stump, when I heard a thud and he called my name. I looked over to see him rolling onto his back. Apparently, he'd stepped on a rock or something that rolled under his foot (he has some numbness in one foot due to his disc issues anyway), and he went down  hard on his bad knee, wrenching his back and hip. I ran out of the pen and around to where he was to help him get up and see if he broke anything before noticing that my old Delaware hen, Georgie, had run over to the fence when he fell. Usually, that type of chaotic movement would drive a chicken away, but she was trying to get to him, which I found rather interesting, as well as endearing. She stayed next to the fence watching him until he got up and spoke to her. She adores him, uses his shoulder for a perch like an 8 lb parrot. These old gals are very protective of him, especially the ones who intervene when the Tiny Terrorist attacks him.

What a special story! I hope your hubs healed well. Sounds like she is protective, had she mothered hatches?
One time I knocked myself out from our large garage barn door, I could have lost my head but instead went flying about 10 foot. When I woke I was surrounded by hens looking at my face. In all that pain, I giggled and said please don't eat me and covered my face, I think they were pecking me, I was pretty out of it! Lol it was the funniest way to see hens being curious or ???? Needles to say the healing took several weeks, it literally threw me in a half second 10 foot and several feet off the ground, didn't see or remember anything except those silly hens staring down at me.

 

[drumstick diva]

Thank goodness the hens weren't hungry.

 

[speckledhen]

What a special story! I hope your hubs healed well. Sounds like she is protective, had she mothered hatches?
One time I knocked myself out from our large garage barn door, I could have lost my head but instead went flying about 10 foot. When I woke I was surrounded by hens looking at my face. In all that pain, I giggled and said please don't eat me and covered my face, I think they were pecking me, I was pretty out of it! Lol it was the funniest way to see hens being curious or ???? Needles to say the healing took several weeks, it literally threw me in a half second 10 foot and several feet off the ground, didn't see or remember anything except those silly hens staring down at me.

I can just see that, LOL. Sorry you were hurt, but the visual, oh my!

Thank goodness the hens weren't hungry.

I've always said never lose consciousness in the chicken pen. But then, if you have to get rid of a body, well, 'nuff said. LOL.