When your chickens get old and die...

[chookchick]

I haven't posted on here for forever. But this seems to be a turning point for my chickens. I have six hens that I have had for eight and nine years and they are pretty much pets. Up to now I have had a few egg-binding incidences, bumblefoot, but hadn't lost a chicken. Of course they are not laying great anymore--some maybe once a week. My best layer is actually one of the older ones (a gold-laced Wyandotte).

At the New Year, I noticed that one was not feeling well (Delilah). When I got a better look at her, she had a large abscess on her leg, I feel terrible I didn't notice her before, but I've been somewhat ill recently. After going over the options and seeing her prognosis, I decided to have a neighbor butcher her.

Now another one is not doing well (Jackie O). I've looked her over and can't really see any issues, other than poopy butt which she is always prone to. It's winter so she isn't haven't egg-related problems. I've decided to leave her in the coop with her buddies rather than try heroics to bring her back. She's not eating much at this point, so she'll probably die soon.

Is this kind of what to expect as they get older? The others look fine, but should I be worried about them? How did your chickens pass away? It's tough.

 

[donrae]

But be assured when a pet begins to slow down eating or not walk so much at the end of their life it is not painful other than for the person watching them go.

Sorry, but how do you know that? I'm thinking the reason they don't walk is because they hurt.

I'm a nurse and have worked geriatrics/ long term care more years than I care to admit. "Natural" death isn't being perfectly fine one day and just going to sleep and not waking up. That time of not eating, not being able to move, lots of folks say they hurt. A lot. If humans, who can speak, beg me for medication for their suffering, or to end their suffering....why would an animal not be feeling the same thing? It's legal to euthanize an animal that's suffering. Why would you drag it out? Is that extra 2-3 days it lives really worth it's probable suffering?

 

[Beekissed]

Chickens die much like everything else dies, sometimes suddenly and sometimes from age or reproductive related problems. Yours have lived longer than most laying breeds do, so that's a good thing.

Normally, a person will kill them when they notice one is suffering/not eating/standing around/getting thin for no reason in order to give them a good death after a good life. If you have a neighbor who will do that for your birds, I'd urge you to let them do so to the one that is not currently wanting to eat. Dying naturally, though natural, isn't too pleasant a way to go most of the time, so if you can give her mercy it's a good thing to do.

In the future, though there are always exceptions to the rule, note that a hen is on the time clock to dying once she stops laying her regular laying cycles she normally does in a year. People who want to avoid older hens suffering prior to death will normally kill them when they stop normal laying patterns, be they young or old, while they are still feeling good and having a good life. This serves three purposes~it gives a chicken a good life and a quick and merciful end to it, her meat can still be consumed, and it removes a potential carrier of parasites and/or disease from the flock.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I belive you should NOT have the killed.Ithink you should keep them in a pen with a house with comfy, dry wood chicks for them to scratch and peck and a grassy run and give them good last days of life.

And when the time comes that they are starving because they can no longer eat? Laying there gasping for breath?
Death is not pretty or kind when it happens. It rarely involves happily scratching about.

I vote for a quick end while still healthy enough to go in a stock pot.

Having lost a few to age I would be very grateful to a neighbor that was willing to help.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Ditto

I wish felt confident butchering my own, period. Would save time, gas, and $'s hauling them to the butcher who is kind of far away. The one thing that frightens me is I may not get all the inerds out right. When I watch youtubes (I'm an AV learner), I find out something new almost every time. For example, I didn't even think about having to get the lungs out and that THAT can be a bit tough. Geesh, I could've butchered a chicken and easily not have removed them, because I didn't know better. For now I'm leaving it to the Amish, but have not given up on the idea of doing it myself one day. Geesh. The pioneers, Moms, did it all the time and they didn't have all this fancy equipment, right?

We have the video looping in the back ground while my daughter is processing the birds. All the reading/watching in the world won't make up for hands on experience. And we didn't get it right every time.

It is a learning process like so many other things. Yep, we even have cut an intestine and popped a bile sack!

Had to discard a good portion of the bile sack one.... but it's all part of the learning process. And my daughter still ins't exactly sure where she is supposed to disconnect the neck at. I have a feeling the pioneer women were raised up knowing it would one day be their responsibility to feed their family, unlike many of us who have never even touched raw chicken with bones in it. So they may have been a little more mentally prepared. I definitely respect the amount of work they had to do back in the day before the modern convenience of the grocery market and all of our appliances! I am honored to be mother and daughter doing this difficult but worthy task together.

Yes, I will try to get rid of my hens before eating any.... Not that their life has more value than a roo. Maybe because I knew all along that most boys will feed us as their service.

If you ever had an accidental outbreak of cockerels you weren't yet prepared for who suddenly gang up on your most docile hen and hold her down while they take turns, it becomes much easier to do the deed. But still not out of anger.

I apologize for my comment making it seem like I was advocating one method over another. I was just kind of attached to that chicken. Also I had not anticipated needing to cull any for a while so I had to come up with something fast.

Any way somebody chooses to manage their flock is fine with me. The more animals you have, the more efficient you need to be and the less personal. Also if someone chooses to eat raw egg yolks that is their business. This is the last forum Im still participating in. I've dumped FB, twitter and next door. It's so hard to communicate online

I don't think you had anything to apologize for.

That's why BYC is here, so we can all share what worked for us! And I do advocate some of the things that do work for me... But I also understand that what works for me might not work for someone else. We are all as individual and as unique as each of our chickens.

I also don't Facebook, twitter, or any of that stuff. And this is the only forum I participate in as well. And I find that most folks here are well meaning and good hearted, just trying to help each other enjoy their animal keeping experience.

Reading back... sorry if it was me that made you feel weird!

I usually try to use emoticons to show my intent but can see I didn't earlier.

Flock management is a very personal thing, and I know we all have to do what will work for us... or it doesn't work. And I participate in threads even when I think I know the answer because what someone reveals may ultimately be better than my current understanding. And there are some things I WISH I could make work the way others do, but just isn't right for my situation. I learn something new here almost every day!

Just for info.... even with 48 birds last season, all had names and individual personalities. There is a definite need to be more efficient. But thankfully I am not at a point where it is less personal! I can see how big farming it would be. But I'm just a hobbyist, using animal keeping as one of my coping mechanisms to maintain my insanity!

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks beekissed , K&S, Kaboom, so nice to talk with those that understand.

Beekissed, that is a really good way to think about it. I'll talk with my neighbor, as he has already said I should butcher the ones that aren't laying anymore, and he'd like the meat. When they get in really bad shape, he doesn't want the meat.

I still feel like he is doing me a big favor though, and I'll have to figure out a way to repay.

Kaboom--the first one to pass was a speckled sussex--she was quite the personality! She had a bit of a tough time as a chick and was always a terrible layer, tiny eggs to boot.

Jackie O. is the only one of my original batch (the rest turned out to be roosters!) I'm guessing a black Australorp (sp?). She has been a very dependable layer until the last year or so. But she almost always has poopy butt and odd-shaped eggs. She was the alpha hen.

Pheonix is the Gold-laced Wyandotte--she is a real *****, but she is STILL a great layer, totally dependable, and seems healthy at 9 years old.

The others (3) are Easter Eggers and aren't very good layers anymore, but they seem very healthy and are sweet. Maybe if I put them in a tractor next year, get them on grass, they will lay better?

I need eggs! Guess that means chicks...

Does your neighbor have a flock of his own? If he doesn't, perhaps you could gift him some eggs. As your birds are all ageing out, as Bee says, better to give them a quick merciful end to a good life, than to wait until they are suffering. Birds hide their illness well, and by the time you notice that they have an issue, most likely they have been hiding it for some time, and suffering during that time. Your neighbor wants the meat, you don't want to process your birds... that's a win/win situation to me. If he does have his own flock, and you really want to do something nice for him... take him some cookies, or some brownies, or perhaps a bit of what ever your "specialty meal" happens to be. Everyone loves home made kitchen goodies.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would not feel guilty about the abscess on her leg, I am betting it came on very fast.

I would anticipate that most of this flock will be gone within 6 months. However, I would have made the same prediction 3-4 years ago! Often times, I have gone in and just had a hen that seemed just fine the day before, was dead. To me, pretty good way to go.

However, I strongly agree with Beekiss, that as the caretaker, there is a responsibility to reduce suffering of old age, disease or injury. If your neighbor can do this, I would let them.

Truthfully, I think if you get some chicks, 5 months from now, you are going to be wondering why you waited so long to get them.

Mrs K

 

[bobbi-j]

Good for you for considering speaking with your neighbor. I, too, believe it's kinder and more merciful to give them a quick humane end to their lives than let them go to the point that they get sick and suffer. And, as others have stated, it's a win-win for both you and your neighbor (and your chickens, really).

 

[CuzChickens]

From an emotional standpoint, I think I would let them live. But from a sensible and responsible animal caretaker standpoint, think of them. Would you rather pass in your sleep when you've reached a ripe old age, or spend the last months of your life battling something and pass when you are miserable? Follow your instincts, and whatever you do, just don't let them suffer. It sounds like you are a good chicken parent.

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: Well stated. I see the same thing every day that I work in a nursing home. Death is very rarely a simply going to sleep and waking up dead. There is suffering involved. And I believe that we are pretty egocentric if we believe that we are suffering more for the watching of it than the person/animal who is going through it.