What does it mean when they say they won't live long?

[jenni22776rn]

I have read it many times...when it is said that a certian breed will not last long..what does that mean? Are they talking about their egg laying..and thinking most people will cull after they are done? I am asking because I have read with certian breeds they were bred for mass egg production and they will burn out fast and not last long...unsure if that just means that they only lay for a certain number of years then they are used for meat? How long do most chickens lay for? Once they stop laying...they can still be healthy chickens correct? I have a 3 yr old RIR..they guy at our local feed store made the comment that she only has a few years left...I am still a newbie and am learning as much as I can..but I did not want to ask him what he meant only because I did not want to sound as stupid as I feel...I know that some meat birds can't live a long life due to the weight gain health issues...but regular chickens even if dual purpose can live a long life correct? Sorry for all the questions...

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
Jenni, some folks think a hen is done when she`s 2 years old. Most egg producers do start to slow down after 2 years, but can be productive even after 4 years. Some hens will lay up til around 10 years, although they can hardly be concidered layers. Pet chickens can live and be healthy a lot of years. Just fyi, the oldest chicken on record was a game hen in the UK that lived to the age of 25. It`s true that the better layers "burn out" quicker than the slow producers, but if your hen is a pet, give her a good home and love her through her old age...........Pop

 

[jenni22776rn]

Thanks...makes me feel a little better..I keep my chickens as pets and am glad to hear they can live long past their laying years!

 

[schellie69]

Commercial chicken farmers get rid of the hen at around the 2 year mark due to them slowing down but these hens are kept in 24 hour light with no sunshine and feed a diet that makes for laying a lot of eggs. Now the backyard keep or small farmer do not treat their hens this way some hens will go broody and if you do not use extra light for part of winter they do stop laying which gives their bodies a break. Then a hen with these break will more then likely lay for a long period of time. After they stop laying it is up to each person if they live out their lives as just a pet or if they are culled for meat. I do some hatchery stock can as they age start to have egg laying issues such being egg bound and having egg break inside of them.

 

[ibpboo]

I have an RIR that is 9 years old this year, and lays eggs still. I also have an EE that is 9 years old and lays eggs still.
My friend had a hen live to be 15 years old, and still laid about a dozen eggs a year at that age.

 

[Lollipop]

Just a reflection on what schellie69 said about Commercial chicken farmers. When I was a kid, about a hundred years ago, I paid $1 for a battery hen. She wasn`t laying and had long toenails that curled around in a circle about the size of a quarter. She had no clue about how to scratch in the dirt, dust bathe, or any other chicken thing. I kept her for about six months and no eggs, so I decided to soup her. When I got her open, she had a huge egg pouch. She probably would have started laying within a week and I would have had Xlarge white eggs for months. Don`t give up too soon on the older girls..........Pop

 

[jenni22776rn]

That is a little sad...I grew up on a working farm and I remember helping my dad with processing many chickens over many years...I recall never having the same chickens for long...now as an adult I know that I could never raise meat birds because I would become attached..so I know that the laying hens I have will be pets and will remain in the family long after their laying days are done..I am glad to hear that it will be longer then 4 years! Thanks everyone for the information!