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

[chickenneighbor]

I need to to get a new pic of him but this is Storm at almost 8 weeks old. He is black with white markings...the white and black cockerel in the back right is his half brother,Zilla..both are sired by Isaac ... we lost Zilla a few weeks ago during a terrible storm.

Thanks, Cetawin, for posting this picture of Storm. He, too, is very handsome!

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Penny is our 7 (going on 8 in March) senior Production red hen. She is the dominant hen of the flock, and rules the roost! She was one of our first birds and has gone through many many things. Such as: Being stolen (I know, crazy huh?), Surviving a predator rampage and more. She is our favorite laying hen.

She (Penny) and my Brown Leghorn (Koco) are best buds, even though Koco is 3 years old.

Penny and her flock.

 

[Little Peep]

Wow! all the's Chicken's are making me Jealous!

 

[speckledhen]

My old ladies ought to be making the younger ones jealous. They are out-laying them, hands down, right now.

 

[Little Peep]

Penny is our 7 (going on 8 in March) senior Production red hen. She is the dominant hen of the flock, and rules the roost! She was one of our first birds and has gone through many many things. Such as: Being stolen (I know, crazy huh?), Surviving a predator rampage and more. She is our favorite laying hen.

She (Penny) and my Brown Leghorn (Koco) are best buds, even though Koco is 3 years old.

Penny and her flock.


Scratch She got killed by Lucky(Cry!!!!!!!)

ah!! the red one look's like My Red Broiler Hen Queenie She is the sweeeeeeeeeetest thing ever! and that other one look's like Scratch my

 

[SilkiesForEver]

ah!! the red one look's like My Red Broiler Hen Queenie She is the sweeeeeeeeeetest thing ever! and that other one look's like Scratch my

Scratch your........ What?

 

[Suzie]

Speckledhen.... I thought you were in hibernation until January..... I just popped out of my Winter hideout to see your post of the most wonderful looking birds...they are a credit to you for the loving care you have given them, I can only hope that some of mine will live happy and healthy lives for a long time - my eldest are just coming up to five years of age and the hen still lays eggs on a regular basis ( when she is not broody ) she is a Silkie.

All of the posters with pictures on this thread have beautiful birds...!

I am going back into my hideout now.... to sleep until March hopefully!

Suzie

 

[speckledhen]

Hey, Suzie! I posted the pics because I'm sure some of these old ladies will be gone by the end of winter and I think I don't have nearly enough pictures of them. They are wonderful old girls. Amanda and Becca and Gypsy are laying a few eggs each week, but none of Suede's hens are laying and Dusty is crowing like a rooster now every few days. What a goofball! She must really miss Suede. I am pretty much hibernating-constantly working on small quilt projects and dealing with my birds. If you check, my posting rate has gone way, way down on BYC. Doubt I'll ever go back to my usual 30-40 posts per day again. Thanks for dropping in, Suzie!

And Little Peep, that is a great old red hen you have there!

 

[GentleChicken]

This is my first post, but not my first visit to this site. I have had chickens for about 5 years now. Today one of my oldest hens is dying. I seen this thread and just thought I'd share a bit about her. She is the most gentle chicken I have ever had. She is probably about 6 or so. She was full grown when I got her. Lately she has not been going up on her roost at night, so I made her a special place under the nest boxes with plenty of straw. This morning I went in and she was laying on her side, on the ground. Last night was one of our colder nights. She was still alive so I grabbed a towel and wrapped her up and carried her with me while I fed the barn animals. She seemed to like that, I'm sure the warmth was appreciated. I took her inside with me and put her in a nice fresh box of hay, where she is now. There is no doubt she is dying and will probably be gone soon. I have found raising chickens to be so much different than I ever thought it would be. I never thought I would become emotionally attached to these beautiful birds, but I am. They are so full of personality and so different from each other. Little White has hatched out two groups of chicks. The last being about 4 months ago. She was so determined on this batch and she hatched out two. Once they started getting old enough to roam on their own she seemed to have empty nest sydrom. But yesterday the sun came out for a bit and the three of them were sunning together! It was nice to see. I have always done natural hatching and have never had a problem with any of the flock accepting the new chicks. Little White will be my first to go from old age and it is just a bit hard letting go this morning. Good bye to a sweet gentle girl who is well loved!
Thanks for letting me share!

g

 

[speckledhen]

This is my first post, but not my first visit to this site. I have had chickens for about 5 years now. Today one of my oldest hens is dying. I seen this thread and just thought I'd share a bit about her. She is the most gentle chicken I have ever had. She is probably about 6 or so. She was full grown when I got her. Lately she has not been going up on her roost at night, so I made her a special place under the nest boxes with plenty of straw. This morning I went in and she was laying on her side, on the ground. Last night was one of our colder nights. She was still alive so I grabbed a towel and wrapped her up and carried her with me while I fed the barn animals. She seemed to like that, I'm sure the warmth was appreciated. I took her inside with me and put her in a nice fresh box of hay, where she is now. There is no doubt she is dying and will probably be gone soon. I have found raising chickens to be so much different than I ever thought it would be. I never thought I would become emotionally attached to these beautiful birds, but I am. They are so full of personality and so different from each other. Little White has hatched out two groups of chicks. The last being about 4 months ago. She was so determined on this batch and she hatched out two. Once they started getting old enough to roam on their own she seemed to have empty nest sydrom. But yesterday the sun came out for a bit and the three of them were sunning together! It was nice to see. I have always done natural hatching and have never had a problem with any of the flock accepting the new chicks. Little White will be my first to go from old age and it is just a bit hard letting go this morning. Good bye to a sweet gentle girl who is well loved!
Thanks for letting me share!

g

I'm so sorry to hear about the imminent passing of your sweet hen. I know that feeling all too well. She is lucky to be so loved and cared for-they are such special souls, these beautiful girls of ours. Some folks just don't have a clue how amazing they truly are.