Old chicken

[mbetts]

My chicken Ewa is ten years old! (She's Polish, so of course that's how her name is spelled.)
I don't believe I've ever heard of a chicken living that long. She's a pet, obviously. Very friendly, comes when I call, and still keeps her place in the pecking order. I have two other layers, and some who haven't started laying yet. All are Polish.
And today she laid an egg, by golly!
Does anyone else have old birds?
Betts

 

[Sjisty]

We have two almost 10-year-old Jersey Giant girls and two Brahmas that are just a bit younger, but none of them are laying eggs. Blackie, one of the Jersey Giants, does still go broody from time to time. She's a great mother!

 

[drumstick diva]

How nice must, be a combination of great genes and wonderful care to get her to this point. And then she lays an egg on top of it. Does she have any offspring? I wonder if they will also have long lives.

 

[mbetts]

I have no roosters, so she's never had offspring. And I have to admit that luck had a lot to do with her longevity. Over the years we've seen raccoons, possums, etc., and I've lost a few chickens. Once when Ewa was only about a year old, something picked her up and flew off with her--but dropped her! I heard the commotion and ran out. I found her lying on her back under a tree by my house. I thought she was a goner, but when I tried to pick her up she jumped up! She had a little wound on her back. I applied antibiotic ointment and kept her in the house overnight. In the morning she was fine!

 

[mbetts]

Wow! So Blackie is still laying? Or does she hatch other hens' eggs?

 

[Sjisty]

No, Blackie doesn't lay anymore. When she goes broody, we put some fertile eggs under her.

 

[b.hromada]

How nice must, be a combination of great genes and wonderful care to get her to this point. And then she lays an egg on top of it. Does she have any offspring? I wonder if they will also have long lives.

I've never been so lucky as to have one of my girls live that long!

 

[ChickenGrass]

My oldest hens are about 6 and a half years
And still laying 4-5 eggs a week
I hope they live to as old as 10

 

[Sjisty]

I almost forgot Lady Oreo! She's a light Brahma who hatched Christmas Day nine years ago. She hasn't laid any eggs in a couple of years, but for the last year or so she has started crowing! We have started calling her "Bruce."
[VIDEO]

 

[BantyChooks]

I have an EE hen, Emma, who is 7 years old as of last spring...and she's still going strong!!