Old age or something else?

[djsnowtiger]

Hello all, my sweet Gertie has been laying down a lot more recently and her crop has started to look pale. She’s 10 years old and has laid 3 eggs so far this year, one was a witch egg and the other two she seemed to have eaten before I got to them. She’s been under quite a bit of stress in recent months due to a scaly leg mite infection that we treated and a lot of raccoon activity that has caused us to keep our chickens in their enclosure more than we’d like. Yesterday we moved their coop to a different spot in the yard so that we could start building a much bigger new coop in its place. Do you think her age is starting to catch up with her, or could this just be a symptom of stress? She still seems to be eating and enjoys free ranging when we let her into the yard, but she’s started putting herself to bed a good 1-2 hours before the other girls at night. Any insight would be appreciated—thank you!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

10 years is pretty old for a chicken. Most stop laying after 6-8 years if they live that long. Since she's having multiple health issues I would guess her immune system isn't what it used to be. She's a precious treasure. I'm guessing her going to roost sooner is so she can get her favorite spot and not have to squabble for it. As long as she's eating and drinking generally they are okay.

 

[djsnowtiger]

10 years is pretty old for a chicken. Most stop laying after 6-8 years if they live that long. Since she's having multiple health issues I would guess her immune system isn't what it used to be. She's a precious treasure. I'm guessing her going to roost sooner is so she can get her favorite spot and not have to squabble for it. As long as she's eating and drinking generally they are okay.

Thank you