Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[kpchick]

s so sorry to hear about your girl. This is my Sam, about 6 1/2 months old.

 

[fatcatx]

She looked real good at six - what happened ?

I know age range varies a lot between breeds and individuals. Is 6 in the typical range for Delawares?

 

[speckledhen]

I know age range varies a lot between breeds and individuals. Is 6 in the typical range for Delawares?

I've found that with many breeds, there is a great difference in health and longevity between hatchery stock and good breeder stock, generally. Other than that, I have never heard of anyone with extremely old Delawares. If a hen that age passed on and had been recently laying, with no symptoms of illness other than slowing down some, I'd attribute it to just natural causes/aging. Someone asked me last year when my almost 6 year old Blue Orp rooster, Suede, passed away, what happened. Old age happened. He lived to a ripe old age for a rooster of his size and was not ill, just elderly, similar to an extra large breed dog having a shorter life span than a small breed.

My 5 1/2 yr old Lt. Brahma hen died, went downhill over a 4 week period, with crop becoming sluggish, fluid building in her body though she was still laying until just before that time. The fluid I attributed to congestive heart failure, due to old age. She was a hatchery hen who lived past her genetics. Her Buff Brahma "sister" is still with me, going on 7 years old but she is showing her age with a seriously sluggish crop (symptomatic of system shutdown). I consider her to have outlived her genetics and to be living on borrowed time now, but she's still kicking butt and taking names, though she hasn't laid since a year ago May. Though chickens can live to their teens, few actually do. I'd say Delawares are no exception.

 

[fatcatx]

My 5 1/2 yr old Lt. Brahma hen died, went downhill over a 4 week period, with crop becoming sluggish, fluid building in her body though she was still laying until just before that time. The fluid I attributed to congestive heart failure, due to old age. She was a hatchery hen who lived past her genetics. Her Buff Brahma "sister" is still with me, going on 7 years old but she is showing her age with a seriously sluggish crop (symptomatic of system shutdown). I consider her to have outlived her genetics and to be living on borrowed time now, but she's still kicking butt and taking names, though she hasn't laid since a year ago May. Though chickens can live to their teens, few actually do. I'd say Delawares are no exception.

Seems 5-7 are the declining years for so many. Have friends who had feed store bird that were still laying 2+ per week at 10 and 14 before they passed (RIR or similar hybrid). Hard not to wonder what magic gene made their crazy longevity possible.

Have not had to deal with older birds yet personally. What are the symptoms of a "sluggish crop"? Does it just not empty as quickly as it did in their prime?

 

[speckledhen]

Seems 5-7 are the declining years for so many. Have friends who had feed store bird that were still laying 2+ per week at 10 and 14 before they passed (RIR or similar hybrid). Hard not to wonder what magic gene made their crazy longevity possible.

Have not had to deal with older birds yet personally. What are the symptoms of a "sluggish crop"? Does it just not empty as quickly as it did in their prime?

I do have several birds who are laying at almost 7 years old, though they suffer from arthritis, one very badly so. They are daughters of hatchery stock, not direct hatchery hens.

The crop just seems to stop emptying well and they need to have limited feed, especially keeping scratch to a minimum, plus regular oil and massages to keep things moving along. Have had two of them recently that needed special attention in that area. The crop is a barometer for the general condition of a chicken, overall. Aging ones have sluggish digestion when the muscles just don't work like they used to. Been there numerous times. Just have to watch for any weird neck movements like they're having trouble swallowing something and the work begins on another one.

 

[finnfur]

I do have several birds who are laying at almost 7 years old, though they suffer from arthritis, one very badly so. They are daughters of hatchery stock, not direct hatchery hens.

The crop just seems to stop emptying well and they need to have limited feed, especially keeping scratch to a minimum, plus regular oil and massages to keep things moving along. Have had two of them recently that needed special attention in that area. The crop is a barometer for the general condition of a chicken, overall. Aging ones have sluggish digestion when the muscles just don't work like they used to. Been there numerous times. Just have to watch for any weird neck movements like they're having trouble swallowing something and the work begins on another one.

Will keep that in mind - my oldest are just hitting 3 1/2 and are production TSC reds

 

[speckledhen]

You're more likely to see some internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis stuff with yours than old age issues, but you never know what's going to happen with a laying hen. They go through a lot to crank out those eggs.

 

[finnfur]

You're more likely to see some internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis stuff with yours than old age issues, but you never know what's going to happen with a laying hen. They go through a lot to crank out those eggs.

Yes we are getting some odd eggs already - wrinkled . torpedo shape and some thin membrane type .

 

[speckledhen]

What's funny is that one of my Delaware hens has for a couple of years now laid a wrinkled egg from time to time. Some of them are really ugly, too. The wrinkling coincides with a thinner shell most of the time. It's just her, have never had any Infectious Bronchitis in the flock, before anyone offers that conclusion. Her egg shell quality has deteriorated enough that they usually crush under a broody hen so if I get any more of her chicks, I'd have to incubate them artificially so as not to put stress on the shell. She is also showing some signs of beginning arthritis so could be increasing issues due to her age, but she lays regularly and lays extra jumbo eggs.

 

[EggieRowe]

Wrink

What's funny is that one of my Delaware hens has for a couple of years now laid a wrinkled egg from time to time. Some of them are really ugly, too. The wrinkling coincides with a thinner shell most of the time. It's just her, have never had any Infectious Bronchitis in the flock, before anyone offers that conclusion. Her egg shell quality has deteriorated enough that they usually crush under a broody hen so if I get any more of her chicks, I'd have to incubate them artificially so as not to put stress on the shell.

Can wrinkly be ok in a younger hen? I have an assorted laying flock (all 14 mos old) and one hen that lays wrinkly eggs from time to time. I thought that was just a normal but random thing. She's never been under the weather.