Your backyard chickens are your pride and joy. You raised them from chicks to adulthood, and now the Golden Years have arrived for Henrietta, Red, Goldie, and Ginger. What can you expect and how can you help your little flock live happily through their “retirement”?
What Is A Senior Chicken?
The first step is to recognize when you’re dealing with senior backyard chickens. The average chicken usually lives for 7 or 8 years. Smaller breeds often live a bit longer than larger breeds, but exceptions occur. The world’s oldest chicken was confirmed by Guinness World Records in March 2023. Her name is Peanut, and she is a bantam breed.
A chicken’s peak years are about 3 or 4, with breed, health conditions, and other factors affecting this. So a 5- or 6-year-old chicken is not only older but likely a senior. Some chickens become seniors sooner than others and vice versa. Signs your backyard chickens are on that path include: not moving as fast, staying closer to the coop, lying down more frequently, change in egg laying for layers, increased health issues, “tattered feathers,” etc.
Enhance The Life Of Your Senior Backyard Chickens
Once you know you have senior chickens in the flock, here’s how you can help them maintain a good quality life.
1. Provide the right food. If you were offering layer feed, it’s no longer needed because egg production has slowed greatly or stopped. The added calcium could be harmful at this life stage. Protein percentage should be at 16%, and definitely not more than 25%.
2. Provide supplements. Lafeber’s Booster Berries Senior is formulated to aid senior chickens with ingredients to improve mobility and overall health. Arthritis is a major concern as chickens age, and glucosamine and chondroitin can help.
3. Adjust the environment. Move roosts, food containers, waterers, etc. within easy reach for a hen suffering mobility issues due to arthritis. Add more bedding to senior nest boxes if their feathers seem sparser.
4. Monitor senior backyard chickens closely. Check for signs of health concerns, such as overgrown nails, pressure sores on the feet, a chronically soiled vent, parasites like mites, tumors, breathing difficulty, etc. Help your chickens out by regularly trimming nails, providing more bedding or alternate places to roost or lie down, cleaning the vent area gently with warm water, using parasite preventives, and alerting your vet if you suspect a health issue.
5. Examine the living area for hazards to seniors. Is there anything in the coop or run that a senior chicken might trip on if feet aren’t lifting as high? Anything else that might harm a senior?
6. Determine if your senior needs a place of her own (with her best buddy or two!). As chickens age their needs can change. Observe how your seniors interact with the flock. Is it possible the seniors would do better in their own area with only a few younger hens?
7. Consult your veterinarian. He or she can offer advice on minimizing health issues or adjusting the environment.
8. Keep pests away. Stay on top of using preventives for both internal and external parasites. Mites, fleas, and other parasites could find easy prey in your elder chickens. Carefully inspect your seniors daily so you can treat as soon as possible, because they have fewer defenses and reserves against them than younger chickens.
9. Occasionally add apple cider vinegar to water in a plastic or glass dish (mix at 1 tablespoon per gallon) to promote good health. Do not use a water container with any metal components, as the vinegar corrodes those. Consult your veterinarian about the proper dose for your seniors. Always have fresh water available that doesn’t have added apple cider vinegar.
10. Enjoy your senior backyard chickens! Age happens, and your older chickens have a lot to offer, whether through teaching the younger chickens, continuing bug patrol, adding a calm presence, and more.
