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How Long Do Chickens Live? Well…Here’s The Thing.

November 20, 2017 by Maat

How Long Do Chickens Live? Well…Here’s The Thing.

A question I frequently get from readers is “How long do chickens live?”

Table of Contents (Quickly Jump To Information)

  • A question I frequently get from readers is “How long do chickens live?”
  • Why Environment Plays Such A Factor
  • How does care influence how long chickens live?
  • How Long Do Chickens Live: Which breeds live long?
  • And then there’s Matilda
  • So, how long do chickens live, really?
  • Tips for Keeping Your Chickens Healthy:
  • Learn More about Types of Chickens with the Backyard Chicken Bundle!
    • Click here to learn more about the Backyard Chicken Bundle!

 

So, “how long does a chicken live?” While on average chickens live about 8 years, the question of “how long do chickens live” depends on a lot of factors, including breed, quality of life, and environment.

 

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There’s also the little fact that most chickens people raise are intended to be food – and you can bet those poor souls don’t get to live 8 years (try 8 weeks). 

 

And then there’s Matilda (who lived until the age of 26) who blows any average lifespan out of the water. (A lot of people email me asking “where do chickens live?” – or “how long do hens live?” meaning chickens like Matilda that live for a long time. We’ll discuss her in a minute – stay tuned. She’s adorable and you don’t want to miss her)

 

So, speaking in real world terms, simply saying that the life expectancy of a chicken is about 8 years isn’t always a real, hard fact.

 

My friends, if you’ve read this website for a while, you probably know how I’ll answer the question “how long do chickens live?” with….

 

Well, it depends.

 

Let’s explore exactly why I’ve given such a frustrating answer to the simple “how long do chickens live?” question.


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Why Environment Plays Such A Factor

While there are, without a doubt, chickens that live 8 years or longer, most backyard chickens won’t make it to that ripe old age.

 

And the main reason is that there’s something in their environment that does them in long before they get to experience a life without having to lay an egg every day.

 

(How old are chickens when they stop laying eggs you ask? Two years of age is when they slow down, and most chickens won’t lay consistently after age 3. There’s always the egg-ception though).

herbs for backyard chickens

 

Once upon a time, someone decided that most chickens die of salpingitis (which causes lash eggs).

 

I’m gonna go out on a (fairly long, solid) limb here and question the basis of that claim, at least for backyard chickens.

 

The reality is that every year, more chickens die from predator attacks, poor care, or disease than from a fairly uncommon infection like salpingitis. (So, if you’ve been hand wringing about lash eggs, you can stop.)

 

A quick study of Facebook groups where people ask “any idea what killed my chickens?” will prove me right.

 

In fact, I would put predators at the top of the “what kills chickens the most” list. Unless your chickens are locked up 24 hours a day in a VERY predator proof run, chances are, you’ll lose a flock member or two to a hawk, domestic dog, or other critter bent on a free meal.

 

So, a majority of chickens won’t live to age 4 simply because they’re snatched and eaten by a freeloader.

 

The elements are another factor about the life expectancy of a chicken. While we all do our best to care very well for our chickens, they’re still living out in the elements, and that alone puts a lot of strain on their little bodies.

 

Now, this isn’t to say you shouldn’t allow your chickens to play outdoors – quite the opposite.

 

As they said in Steel Magnolias, “I’d rather have 30 seconds of wonderful, than a lifetime of nothing.”

 

It’s FAR better to allow your chickens to have a happy life outdoors enjoying the world than to keep them cooped up all the time (which comes with its own set of risks) simply for the sake of seeing if they live long.

 

But we can’t deny that the extreme summer and winter temperatures eventually take their toll.

herbs for backyard chickens

How does care influence how long chickens live?

Veterinarians (and common sense) have long told us that pets that receive proper care are more likely to live long and prosper than animals who are neglected.

 

Chickens that aren’t getting a consistent and proper diet including feed and fresh water, who aren’t given basic medical care, or who aren’t given access to a warm home out of the elements, will likely have their lives cut short far before 8 years of age.

 

How Long Do Chickens Live: Which breeds live long?

To some extent, the type of chickens is a factor with regards to lifespan. While sometimes I’m asked “how long do bantam chickens live?”, the fact that bantams are essentially smaller chickens means that their lifespan isn’t much different than their full-sized counterparts.

 

Some breeds are designed to live longer than other breeds, however. An extreme example are Cornish Crosses.

 

Because they’re bred to grow very quickly, Cornish Crosses generally don’t live very long. They’re generally harvested at 10 weeks of age, and even up until then, they’re on shaky ground.

 

Many develop heart or liver issues, and don’t grow feathers over their entire body, leaving large gaps for the cold to seep into their bodies, killing them.

 

Similarly, breeds of chickens developed to be frequent layers (such as Production Reds) might develop internal issues associated with laying more frequently than other breeds.

 

And then there’s Matilda

First, I love the fact that they named this hen Matilda.

Wondering how long do chickens live? Your backyard chickens can live quite a while!

(If you don’t know, Matilda was one of the first queens of England who battled for many years against men who wanted to take her crown. She wasn’t successful, but she DID get her son on the throne. Baby steps, people.)

 

Matilda (who obviously never wondered “how long do chickens live?”) was the first chicken to hold the title of the World’s Oldest Living Chicken in the Guinness Book Of World Records.

 

Matilda was born in 1980 and was part of her family’s magic show for about 10 years. A well-cared for pet, her owners contacted the Guinness Book of World Records in 2001 to see about getting her inducted.

 

After her owners proved her age, Matilda was given her honorary title.

 

Now, 26 is a REALLY long time for any hen to live, and Matilda probably made it to that age based on luck and very good care (she apparently was an indoor bird). I wouldn’t necessarily expect any of my chickens to live that long. Although I wouldn’t be opposed to it.

 

So, how long do chickens live, really?

Officially, I’ll stick with the “about 6-8 years” answer, largely because there haven’t been studies to prove otherwise.

 

We’ve personally had chickens live that long….and then we’ve had the chickens that don’t live past the first year because of predators.

 

How about you? Do you still wonder “how long do chickens live?” What’s been the record on your farm?

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Tips for Keeping Your Chickens Healthy:

  • 10 Abnormal Eggs: What You Need to Know
  • Keep Your Hens Healthy With A Dust Bath
  • Organic Homemade Chicken Feed Recipe
  • What Your Chicken Coop Should Include

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Filed Under: Chickens Tagged With: backyard chickens, breeds of chickens, chickens as pets, free ranging

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chris says

    November 21, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    I have a couple of hens that are currently 9 or 10 years of age. Big black feathered beautiful birds. I don’t even know what breed they are but if the rest of my girls look that good at their age (if they make it that long) I’ll be very happy.

    • Maat says

      November 24, 2017 at 3:50 am

      Love this!

  2. Michele says

    November 21, 2017 at 10:56 pm

    Looking for an automatic door for our coop. Any info on this?

    • Maat says

      February 4, 2018 at 10:37 pm

      Yes – I have an article on the site about coop doors!

  3. Aynsley says

    November 23, 2017 at 11:52 pm

    Thanks for your informative article. I have had chooks live to almost 8yo and 10yo. We generally euthanase them when they get sick or stop laying well, so we can get new young ones. We are in the suburbs and are limited to the number we can comfortably fit… We currently have a couple of Australorpe X girls who are 7yo and lay once or twice a week…

  4. Kristie Hannan says

    November 24, 2017 at 1:22 pm

    I have 8 ex battery girls all around 4 years of age. All enjoying life free ranging and dirt bathing and of course eating and sun bathing. 3 of these girls have had implants to stop them from laying as they were having reproduction issues and now all OK. The others lay infrequently but I don’t mind as promised them a forever home after their battery ordeal. Hoping that with the correct food and care they will live to a ripe old age. They are fully feathered,with nice red combs and great appetites.

  5. chickenpatti13 says

    November 24, 2017 at 1:58 pm

    I had a rooster live until 13 y o.I currently have a 4.5 y o hen that lays every 36 hours..How do I know,you ask-she only lays in my dirty laundry basket.She comes to the front door and whines to get in or follows me straight back to the house when I turn them loose in the morning.If I’m gone,she “holds” it until I return and let’s me have it all the way to the door.

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  • I have a love /hate relationship with this tiny rooster. He's all of 3 inches high but loves to attack my feet. I seriously have no idea why.
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  • Well we've been battling an ice storm for the past couple days (which is why you didn't hear from me yesterday). Unfortunately, on Saturday, the wind blew the door to my coop shut, so the fluffy butts had to deal with the ice and wind.
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  • I'm happy to tell you that reader Diane reports her rooster, Victor, is doing much better after an episode of mysterious blindness. .
Diane emailed me a week ago to ask advice to help Victor out. He suddenly went blind, without much explanation.
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There's a lot of reasons why any animal can go blind temporarily, and Diane did the best thing, which is consult a veterinarian. .
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  • Now that the days are getting longer, it looks like I need to remove even more young roosters from the main coop. There were 3 that didn't cause any trouble over winter (very pretty ones, too), but now that spring is clearly on everyone's mind, they're bothering the hens too much.
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Most of these roosters are ones I bred - Easter Egger mixes that have pea combs and beards. They're very pretty!
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In the tornado last week, one of my temporary coops lost its life, so I'll probably use pieces of that to complete a new coop for these roosters, and give each one a couple ladies.
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I have a feeling by the end of this year, we'll be over run with lovely, bearded chickens. These guys do carry the blue egg laying gene - one's mother was Mama who laid olive colored eggs and the other's mother was Hawk who laid blue eggs).
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If paired with hens who carry the gene, their offspring might lay colored eggs as well.
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We're still getting green eggs from someone (I still haven't figured out who), and I think when the remainder of the roosters leave the coop, it'll prompt my other hens to start laying.
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And this year, I'm having Black Copper Marans hens sent to me, so pretty soon, we should have very colorful egg baskets every morning!

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