Each living thing that strolls this world sooner or later will stop to do as such, with chickens being no special case. The reality of the situation will become obvious eventually come when their bodies start to fall flat and they go on to the following scene. Sometimes, mischances or sickness may take them rashly, however in a perfect world our chickens will experience their days in shirking of such perils. On the off chance that a chicken is permitted to live to the end of its regular life, without arrangements for separating, to what extent will that life be? When in doubt, the life range of chickens changes somewhat by outline and reason.
For instance, meat chickens, for example, Cornish or Cornish crosses have a future of 1-3 years, likely because of the additional meat weight they convey taking a toll on their bodies, which is the reason these creatures are normally winnowed at a youthful age; they are just not intended for the whole deal. Economically utilized laying breeds, for example, White Leghorns are relied upon to live between 1-4 years, yet local laying breeds like Rhode Island Reds and so forth fall more in the 5-8 year range.
There are numerous special cases to these numbers, be that as it may, with the most established living chicken on record, a Red Quill Muffed American Game named Muffy, achieving the age of 22.
Stories of chickens living into their youngsters and twenties may not be the standard, but rather it absolutely happens. In cases, for example, this, it is vital to recollect that in spite of the fact that the winged creature is as yet living, it is not as a matter of course still profitable. Hens moderate down and in the long run quit laying and chickens get to be barren much sooner than their days on this planet are over. Because the conceptive framework has met its end does not by any methods show that the chicken is gazing demise in the face.
As chickens age and quit delivering, you will need to settle on a choice: do you winnow old winged animals or keep them around as pets? Numerous individuals winnow chickens that are past their regenerative prime, at an age which shifts from one bird to another. This is on the grounds that for some these creatures have a fundamental lifestyle, and when they can’t fill their planned need, they should go. At the point when the chicken’s eggs are no more present to nourish your family, the chicken itself gets to be sustenance for your family. Nonetheless, there are still motivations to keep old hens around in the event that you wish to abstain from winnowing, for example, the vermin control and compost they give. Those creatures will in any case should be watched over to your detriment amid their brilliant years, which is a major issue for some and ought to be thought about early before feelings get to be included.
How do you handle old and extra chickens? Share your opinions and experiences in the comment section below.
We live on a farm and have a “pet cemetery where are dogs, cats, pet rabbit and special pet chickens are buried.
The other chickens that died were buried in a valley away from the buildings or wrapped up well and put in a local
waste bin which goes on a landfill.
It would be interesting to learn what other people do with their stock when they die.
Same here we have a graveyard area for goats and housecats and such. We also bury chickens nearby but with chickens, unlike the others, we recycle graves over time more like a dead chicken compost plot than a graveyard. We don’t bother with the cardboard box coffin as we would with a housecat. After about two years we start over at the front area and reuse the same burial area. Another use for dead chickens is to bait the traps to catch possums, racoons, skunks and whathaveyou.
We found that buried chickens were disinterred by fox and coyotes. Now we put them out in an open field where the turkey vultures can see them. It takes a day.
All my chickens are “freeloaders” we joke. I acquired 3 past their prime, have 1 young rooster, and 2 youngins who have yet to lay. Good ol’ Pecky Conner was my layer, but she disappeared a couple weeks ago. I have a feeling she’ll show back up with chicks in tow! To answer the question, they have names and distinct personalities and I think of them as pets. They will certainly go in our makeshift pet cemetery when they pass, and I will mourn their losses. Definitely not eating them!
Good for you, Leigh Ann! Our children refused to eat the first chicken my husband butchered. They said they would NOT eat our pets. From then on over 22 years, we never even thought of eating out chickens, so when they died, they usually received a proper burial. I lived in the city the first part of my life and didn’t realize what warm and friendly animals they could be. So when we moved to our farmette, that was the first thing I wanted to do…raise chickens. It has been a wonderful experience and I miss them very much since we no longer have them.
Our chickens stay until they pass. We currently have 10 hens and get only 3-4 eggs a day. Oh well. We have about 1/4 acre in a suburb of LA and bury them deep as the need arises.
Our chickens all have names and there’s no way I could kill and eat any of them. We bury them when they die of old age. The only ones that didn’t get buried are a few that died in the winter when the ground was too frozen to dig. They were wrapped and put into the trash to go to the landfill. We have cat burial spots around the yard, under ornamental shrubs.