Official BYC Poll: How Old Is / Was Your Oldest Chicken?

[BYC Project Manager]

For this poll, we are curious to see the age ranges of our members' flocks as well as get an idea of the "lifespan" of the older chickens in our community.

How Old Is / Was Your Oldest Chicken? Place your votes above and feel free to share his/her exact age and your experiences in the comments section below.

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

 

[casportpony]

My oldest is a 2007 model rooster (14 years old)!

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Silkie hen, 9 and half years old, still goes broody every month and still lays 3-5 eggs each week. Brilliant mumma, I allow her to raise 2-3 clutches a year... Also she has Never had any health problems at all!!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

The oldest ever recorded hen was named Matilda. She lived to be 16! She never laid an egg and they attribute that to her long life. She was also an indoor chicken.

 

[casportpony]

Here is my OEGB teaching her peachick that she hatched to eat mealworms. I think she was 6 or 7 in this video and lived to be 10 or 11.

 

[ChickensForEggs2500]

I have a retiree whos turning nine this spring!

 

[PioneerChicks]

I think (I can't remember exactly) Old Dana will be turning 8 this spring. She was part of my first flock, and I owe that to her!

 

[Ursuline Chick]

I am unable to answer that question with anything close to an actual number.
We started our flock with a foundling cockerel. Once he had a safe abode for himself and a number of hens, we went out to buy 3 hens for him. Although I had done a ton of reading on what to do and what not to do in order to keep chickens properly, I knew nothing about guessing the age of a hen. And, Man did the seller see me coming. We bought 3 hens, 1 was a Mille flore something, that was a full size hen. She was beautiful and friendly and I named her Ursula. I will never know how old she was when we got her, but she was my pride and joy. She never laid an egg, ever. So she was past laying age when we got her and we have had at least one hen who laid fewer and fewer eggs until she was 7 years old.
We had Ursula for about 8 years, I guess. So she would have been at least 10 years old and probably 15 or more. She was and always has been missed. One day perhaps I will tell a few Ursula stories, she was rather bossy, even with the Rooster.

 

[cooingdove]

I had a 11 year old EE, sadly she died last summer. she layed every other day till her death in august which I think is pretty amazing if you ask me.
#EEs forever

 

[Kessel23]

I've got 3 RIRs that will be turning 7 this spring. They are all doing pretty good for their age.

1 rooster and 2 hens