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

[BantyChooks]

My soon-to-be 8yr old EE hen, Emma.... Such a sweet girl.

 

[speckledhen]

My soon-to-be 8yr old EE hen, Emma.... Such a sweet girl.

Very pretty girl. Love her coloring. EEs seem to be sweet birds, overall. The roosters can vary, of course, but I love the hens.

 

[mellcrowl]

Wow, 13 is a very advanced age for any hen!


I have noticed that Gloria Jean has been going on the nest and did not produce an egg. After today's session, I decided to check her. She seems to be bloating up again, darn it. She and Maretta are 5 years old now, as are the original Stukel BR hens, Ida and Wynette. I will not treat her. Hopefully, her body will take care of it like it did last time, but that rarely happens more than once.

What's even more amazing is she still lays here and there. I have never met a 13 year old yet before her, let alone one that's still semi productive. She's a really amazing old gal.

 

[Huggerlady]

Well shoot the last two days Ginger who is 12 is acting really sore on one leg. I think the young chicks are keeping her hopping a bit too much. I've no where else for her to go. The flock pecks and pushes her out. She was always top until this winter. The only thing I've done for her leg is set her on snow a couple times a day while she has some her scratch hand fed to her, ( she's almost totally blind). Then she happily goes under the heat light. Some babies adore her, funny thing is the EE's like her (8), they peck her mouth and snuggle up and fight to be closest.

I am afraid she'll die over night every night. When they die of old age, is it peaceful and in their sleep? I hope so. I told my DH that this one gets a proper burial, she's out lived 2 dogs, about 60 chickens, 3 cats, 2 horses and Grandma. Well some of those were older but still. Lol

 

[speckledhen]

Well shoot the last two days Ginger who is 12 is acting really sore on one leg. I think the young chicks are keeping her hopping a bit too much. I've no where else for her to go. The flock pecks and pushes her out. She was always top until this winter. The only thing I've done for her leg is set her on snow a couple times a day while she has some her scratch hand fed to her, ( she's almost totally blind). Then she happily goes under the heat light. Some babies adore her, funny thing is the EE's like her (8), they peck her mouth and snuggle up and fight to be closest.

I am afraid she'll die over night every night. When they die of old age, is it peaceful and in their sleep? I hope so. I told my DH that this one gets a proper burial, she's out lived 2 dogs, about 60 chickens, 3 cats, 2 horses and Grandma. Well some of those were older but still. Lol

At her age, it could be arthritis. I have two hens now with severe cases, one of them has lost the use of one leg entirely and has her own heat lamp if it's at all cold, and a few others who have mild cases. You can give her baby aspirin for a few days and see if it helps her.

 

[mellcrowl]

This is our 13 year old EE hen. She's doing great for being such an old gal. Even lays an egg still on occasion!

 

[speckledhen]

This is our 13 year old EE hen. She's doing great for being such an old gal. Even lays an egg still on occasion!

Very cool! My own 8 yr old EE hen prolapsed today. Managed to get it back in but I'm not sure what will happen to June. She recently had a broken egg inside, had to expel the shell and we fixed her up and she's been fine, but I guess maybe her systems are beginning to malfunction.

9 yr old crippled BR, Amanda, on the other hand, has laid FOUR eggs in the past week! FOUR! She amazes me.

 

[speckledhen]

My Brahma, Caroline, not doing well. Her eyes say she is weary, lost a lot of weight, very bloaty crop due to the pendulous crop becoming worse with age, but she's 9 yrs 4 mos old, already lived 4 years longer than her "sister" Miranda. I know she's old, she's outlived her genetics, but still, I hate so much to lose that hen. She's a fixture around here, just the best hen ever. She's bossed most birds still alive here at one time or another. Every coop she was moved into, she immediately took over. Just a couple weeks ago, I accidentally left my EE hen, Maretta, out when I let out Caroline's group. Out of the corner of my eye, I see some commotion and when I investigate, it's those two hens in battle, feet flying. When I broke it up, Caroline had Maretta's feathers in her mouth. Tough old woman, that gal.

 

[speckledhen]

To update on Caroline: Two days later, after a break with no food and acidified copper sulfate in her water, her crop is down and she is back with her peeps. This is a cycle. I wanted to mention to folks who are not aware that pendulous crop is a genetic issue. I had it in my Blue Orps, lost three hens to crop issues in that flock. One who was mother to quite a few chicks did pass it on to some of her daughters. One of those was owned by my friend in Kentucky. Her vet was consulted periodically about different issues in the flock, stitched up her rooster when he fought a fox, etc. He said he could do a surgical procedure to tuck it up, but the muscles would eventually just sag again, that it was a chronic condition that could not be permanently repaired. That hen did succumb at 5 years of age to her pendulous crop, which, because it is the first line in their digestive system, keeps them from getting the proper nutrition. They tend to slowly lose weight over time. Caroline is doing that. All we can do is manage hers so she is not starving, push food through for her, treat her sour crop bouts where food ferments in the crop. Birds with this issue definitely SHOULD NEVER BE FED FERMENTED FEED or SCRATCH GRAINS. It is working against what the crop wants to do as it is.

 

[Huggerlady]

I couldn't take seeing her blind and crippled any longer so at 12 years and 5 months my hubby did the thing I dreaded. The last couple of nights she had an empty crop, I like to believe we just helped her fly home. RIP Sweet Ginger Mama n Grandma to many a chick.