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

How Old Is / Was Your Oldest Chicken?

  • 0-3 years

    Votes: 142 33.9%
  • 4-7 years

    Votes: 135 32.2%
  • 8-11 years

    Votes: 89 21.2%
  • 12-15 years

    Votes: 42 10.0%
  • 16-19 years

    Votes: 6 1.4%
  • 20 years and older

    Votes: 4 1.0%
  • I don't keep chickens yet

    Votes: 1 0.2%

  • Total voters
    419
My very eldest was an old mixed breed rooster who died at 11 years and 3 months or so old. That was about five years ago now. He was one of our very first chickens here and had lost all of his comb tips and a large portion of all of his toes to the early wintertime mistakes we made as first timers with chickens. He had fondly become known as Mr. Toes in his old age as a result. Not sure if I have any pictures of him anymore, but he resembled a Delaware even though he was definitely a mix of mixes.

Next oldest, still living, are Raven and Merlin, a Wyandotte and Easter-egger we picked up at Tractor Supply either late March or early April of 2010. I have confidence they'll surpass Mr. Toes' record at this point, and I hope to see them live much longer still than that. :)

Raven.jpg Merlin.jpg

A slight update to this, since a reaction reminded me of it! My old, old girl, Raven, passed on about a week ago, at 11 years and roughly 8 months old. She did surpass the old man as I expected, but I'd hoped she would live to see another hatchday. Too bad. :hmm Merlin's going strong, so I'm hopeful that she'll hit the 12 year mark and well beyond.
 
A slight update to this, since a reaction reminded me of it! My old, old girl, Raven, passed on about a week ago, at 11 years and roughly 8 months old. She did surpass the old man as I expected, but I'd hoped she would live to see another hatchday. Too bad. :hmm Merlin's going strong, so I'm hopeful that she'll hit the 12 year mark and well beyond.
Sorry for your loss! She was truly a part of your family. My oldest is now 10. I would have loved to hatch out some of her line but I have to keep her in a cage with recovery chickens away from the Rooster. Her feet are gnarled from arthritis and she couldn't stand the Roosters weight without a kid conciderable amount of pain. So her line will end with her (Calypso). She was my first hatch out and hand raised. She went everywhere with me (when we were both younger.)
Enjoyed your post.
 
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.

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(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)
I had 2 Silver laced Wyandotte hens reach 14 years old
 
Yeah he was such a wonderful guy. I needed to put him to sleep he was declining for m old age and not up to another hard Midwest Winter. I was happy to get a beautiful Roo from a co worker who had 3 roos. He is aWyandotte and also a gentle sweet rooster. We named him Arnold.😊
Arnold. What a wonderful name for a roo. I hope you have many more years with him.
 

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