How to determine the age of laying hens? Conditions of keeping and feeding of laying hens

How long is the lifespan of a chicken

In order to correctly answer such a question, we first need to define the bird breed! Since chickens are domesticated animals for a long time, they are very useful and do not cause much trouble. The birds lay eggs and produce meat, not to mention numerous offspring! And they were bred specifically in the public interest, from 5 to 12 varieties, and each breed has its own cycle and life span! Basically, these animals are divided into three types:

• meat chickens;
• egg chickens;
• Meat and egg.

Let's take a closer look at each type. Let's find out what they are for and how long they live. Because now even an experienced farmer will not tell you the exact time of life, since farmers have been using chickens for 2 years, while they are able to reproduce, carry a regular and large number of eggs and have good meat, then they are exterminated.

1. Meat chickens are the most popular type among farmers. It is mainly intended to bring meat to the family, the name is passed off! Most of these chickens are kept in factories and large factories, people wait until they gain a certain weight, and then kill. The duration of such chickens is approximately 60 days.
2. Egg chickens are another very popular and demanded breed of chickens, they are kept mainly for the sake of eggs, you can find them in ordinary people, or in factories. The life span of this species reaches 1.5–1 years and 7 months.
3. Meat and egg birds are a unique breed, chickens of this breed are very useful, they lay a large number of eggs, they have good meat and they are able to prolong their genus!

Basically, the life of a bird and how much it can rush directly depends on its nutrition, space, food bowls, conditions! What determines the lifespan of a chicken and how to extend it? As we already told you that if you want to have a healthy chicken, and so that it brings you a lot of benefits, then you need to give it some conditions!

1. Correct diet. If your chicken doesn't eat well, you won't get eggs and it won't gain weight. Soybeans, pea crops. Wheat, in general, cereals are relevant all year round. Oil cake from oat processing. Greens are a source of vitamins. Juicy feed.
2. Territory. Each bird must have its own space. It's either a large paddock. Or, if you live in villages, they generally do not need to be locked up, so she can rush longer. Since any chicken needs to walk and run a lot. And also they can there on these themselves some kind of food and useful vitamins that even the owner cannot give them!
3. Correct lighting and temperature. It is better to let your birds walk under natural light, under the sun, I think there is no need to explain this. And the temperature should not exceed 20 degrees. This storage can be in the summer, in a very favorable year.
4. Facilities. You must guard your pets, for example, protect from enemies and make them basic amenities that you yourself can come up with. For example, build a special feeder with your own hands or buy one for food and water. Then put several of them and not too close. Here's how to understand the convenience of a laying hen to help her run longer!

And if you give your laying hens everything that is described here, they will live longer and happier, thus, the income will be much higher!

What factors determine the lifespan of layers

The lifespan of chickens at home depends on various factors. These are the conditions in which the chickens are kept, and feeding, whether they have the opportunity to walk in the fresh air, the optimal ratio in the number of roosters and females. Also important factors are the breed of chickens and the purpose for which they are kept.

If the main goal is to make a profit, then the life of layers on farms is approximately one year. In private homes or backyards, laying hens receive more care and, as a result, live longer.

In many ways, the correct content in a good hen house affects the life of laying hens.

Influence of the breed on life span

As such, no direct dependence of the life span of chickens on the breed has been revealed. However, there is a great deal of dependence on the purpose for which the livestock is bred. It is customary to distinguish meat chickens, egg-laying and meat-egg. Those bred solely for meat live 45 to 60 days. First of all, the farmer is interested in getting tasty meat and making a profit. Therefore, chickens are fed with special additives to enhance growth. It is believed that the most delicious meat is in young chickens, so such birds do not live long.

If birds are bred solely to obtain eggs, then often it all depends on the ability of the hen to lay. After about a year of life, the performance of the laying hen drops by 15-20%. Usually the period of life lasts no more than 3 years, because then egg production drops dramatically.

Many farmers strive to ensure that the costs of keeping birds always pay off. And after 2-3 years of life of the laying hen it is not profitable to keep it. In addition, chicken meat in an adult is considered unfit for food. Therefore, in order to get the maximum benefit - both eggs and meat - the owners kill birds at the age of 1.5-2 years.

Genetically, a laying hen can live up to 13 years.

Often in households, chickens are kept immediately for obtaining eggs and meat. These individuals live on average for 1-2 years. It can also be noted that genetically chickens have a predisposition to live up to 10-13 years.

Many owners love their pets very much and keep them for beauty and pleasure. In the event that the hen is left to hatch chickens, then she can live up to 6-8 years... Decorative chicken breeds live the longest. The 14-year life span of the chicken has been officially registered on the territory of Russia. However, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that chickens lived to be 20 years old.

Interesting facts about the lifespan of chickens

Livestock care

Despite the widespread belief that chickens are not whimsical, the conditions created for them largely determine their productivity and lifespan. It is worth noting that caring for chickens at different times of the year is different. Birds should walk a lot during the summer. So they will be able to move more, breathe fresh air and their diet will be enriched with greens. In winter, the chicken coop should be well insulated to maintain a warm air temperature and prevent drafts. Good lighting and constant cleaning are also important. To prevent laying hens from sitting in one place, feed can be scattered throughout the chicken coop.

Coop with a small pen for keeping chickens in the summer

Chickens react sharply to a change of place of residence, as well as to new individuals in the livestock. If the birds are nervous, they may start pecking at each other. There were cases when one individual pecked another to death. It is also very important to disinfect the chicken coop to prevent diseases. Funds for this procedure are purchased at a veterinary pharmacy.

Important Leaving Chicken Care

The following main points can be highlighted regarding the care of layers:

• maintaining artificial lighting for about 15 hours, this is especially true for the winter period;
• availability of a specially designated walking area;
• the territory where the birds are kept should be optimally comfortable for each individual;
• the presence of constantly clean water and a variety of food;
• the temperature in the hen house is optimal within 20 ° C;
• air humidity is regulated within 40-50 ° С;
• constant supply of fresh air to the chicken coop;
• the presence of a container with ash, which the birds use for cleaning from parasites;
• good sound insulation;
• constant monitoring of the health status of the livestock.

Video - Proper care of chickens

Correct nutrition of chickens as the key to successful longevity

The proper nutrition of the livestock depends not only on the profitability of production, but also on the quality and life expectancy of birds. The diet is selected taking into account the seasons. It must be balanced, contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Many farmers make their own compound feed. The optimal chicken diet should contain:

• flour - bone or fish, animal feed;
• legumes;
• roots;
• cereals;
• greens and green vegetables;
• sunflower cake;
• limestone, shell, fine gravel;
• coarse shale sand.

In the process of preparing compound feed, it is necessary to observe the proportions of each component. Some products serve to replenish the required amount of nutrients, while others are used to cleanse the stomach (like shale sand). There are special additives such as sulfur for high quality feathers. Also, the percentage of all additives depends on the age of the bird.

The food is prepared exclusively for one day so that it does not spoil. The first time food is brought in early in the morning, 1-2 more times during the day, and the last one already at dusk, after the birds have laid their eggs.

Read also Transplanting strawberries in spring to another place

Video - Drawing up a diet for adult chickens

With a balanced diet, the livestock will provide the maximum return. In addition, hens will not exhaust their biological resources prematurely. With poor-quality feeding, individuals may not live up to 1 year.

Scientists from Japan have proven that dietary nutrition can also prolong the life of layers. They conducted an experiment on birds that stopped laying eggs. As part of the research, the chickens were fasted for a week and then resumed feeding. The vital signs of birds have increased significantly. In addition, egg production has resumed.

For many, keeping chickens is a significant help in the household. The lifespan of laying hens in almost everything depends on the owners themselves. And these are not always competent conditions of detention and proper nutrition.

An important role is played by the purposes for which the birds are bred, and the willingness of the owners to bear certain financial costs. After analyzing all the initial data, we can say that layers have every chance to live a long and happy life.

The cost-effectiveness of long-term keeping chickens at home

Video - Instructions for breeding laying hens

Novice farmers often ask themselves - how long does a chicken live? Should I wait until the laying hen dies of old age or is it more profitable to remove it from the livestock at a certain age? Various factors affect the life span of a bird: breed, housing conditions, diseases and others.

How many laying hens live at home

A very popular question at this time is how long a laying hen lives at home.The duration of the feathered at home again depends on the conditions and other facts described above, if the owner observes them, the chicken will live more years! BUT if not at home, then she lives for about 15 years, we know this a lot and much more than at home, but not many animals live up to so many years, because there are many predators in nature, there is no balanced nutrition of other favorable factors !

At home, a chicken lives for a maximum of 3 years. Because here they are kept only for eggs and meat, and the longer the bird lives, the less eggs it brings and its meat becomes bad, in general, such a chicken is not needed at home, it will bring losses, but there is no benefit from it! And so they are only given three years to live when they are still able to be useful. And even here, at three years old, the chicken will practically not rush, because every year they rush less and less! Again, do not forget that they live for three years only if all the conditions described just above are met.

How many years have chickens been kept in the household?

Broilers

If in industrial farms broilers are sent for slaughter immediately after they reach the standard weight, then at home the situation is different.

Domestic broilers are fed for a year and only after that they are sent for slaughter. In some cases - after six months.

1. In an industrial setting, broilers gain weight faster because they are inactive. They have more space in their home chicken coop, so they gain weight in slow motion.
2. The food supply is different. If on a large farm broilers are fed with chemical additives that contribute to their accelerated growth, then in a home chicken coop the birds are given only natural feed.

Layers

Laying hens are the most popular type that is bred on small farms.

The average life expectancy is 2 years. However, some individuals can live up to 3 years and lay eggs. The highest return on its maintenance is in the first year of life, during this period it produces the most eggs.

Petukhov

The life span of a rooster is one of the highest. In domestic chicken coops, roosters are kept up to 5 years old. However, the average period of active fertilization of females is the first three years of a rooster's life. When the reproductive function of the rooster begins to subside, it is allowed to be slaughtered.

How many years does a chicken live

Poultry and factory birds rarely live to death due to natural causes. On the farm, the lifespan of birds depends on the breed. How many years do chickens actually live?

In nature, birds can live for 13-14 years. On a farm or poultry farm, this period is much shorter. How many years, on average, does a laying hen live in a household?

Farmers usually do not keep laying hens for more than three years, as feed intake with age exceeds the amount of egg production. Therefore, keeping birds becomes unprofitable. The only exceptions are birds of valuable breeds, which can be left for breeding the breed. But their lives rarely last longer than five years.

Home

How long does a chicken live at home? The lifespan of a domestic bird directly depends on the decision of the owner. If a farmer keeps poultry solely for the sake of egg products, then a domestic chicken will live no more than three years. As a hen, a chicken can be left up to 5 years old. If the laying hen has become the darling of the family, then under the right conditions, such a chicken will live up to 14 years.

Broiler

How many years do broiler chickens live? Broiler birds live a little. Since the main purpose of broiler breeding is their meat, birds are slaughtered when they reach a certain weight. For the sake of egg production, broiler chickens are rarely kept. There are a number of reasons for this:

1. Viable offspring rarely hatch from eggs.
2. Layer productivity is low.
3. The broiler's egg is large, so the oviduct of the bird is often injured, which leads to illness and death.

When the broiler reaches reproductive age - approximately 7-8 months - the quality of meat deteriorates dramatically. Therefore, farmers try not to leave broilers for egg products.

Broilers eat a lot and often. The average daily weight gain is 40-50 grams, therefore, on average, by 2-3 months, the chicken reaches the desired weight, and it is put under the knife.

Egg

The average lifespan of an egg hen is 3 years. In the period from 4 months to 3 years, the amount of laid eggs in monetary terms exceeds the amount of feed consumed. After three years, the number of eggs decreases by 15-20% annually. Egg breeds can live up to 8 years with proper care.

Meat

Meat breeds are slaughtered in 2-3 months. After three months, birds continue to feed at the same rate, but weight gain slows down. Beef breeds have weak legs. Due to the rapid weight gain, bones can break, which leads to illness and death of the bird. For chickens that lay eggs, an exception is often made. Laying hens live up to 5 years, subject to the rules of care and maintenance.

Meat and egg

The lifespan of universal breeds is the same as that of egg birds. As soon as the productivity of the layers falls, the chicken is slaughtered.

Decorative

Decorative chickens are rightfully considered to be long-livers among representatives of their species. This is due to the fact that ornamental birds are not raised for meat or eggs, but because of their attractive appearance.

Representatives of the decorative breed have strong immunity and live from 15 to 18 years, subject to the rules of care and maintenance. Since there is constant crossing, the immunity of birds falls, and they get sick more often. Because of this, life expectancy can be reduced to 5 years.

At the poultry farm

In poultry farms, chickens do not live long. Representatives of meat breeds are fed with special feed and quickly gain the required weight. By the time they are forty-five, they are ready for slaughter.

Eggs are most productive in the first year of life. Therefore, upon reaching the age of one year, the birds go under the knife or for sale to farms.

At what age do chickens begin to lay?

The age at which hens give their first eggs depends on the breed of the bird. The most popular breeds of the egg direction begin to lay from the 5th month. The eggs in the first clutches are distinguished by their small size and large yolk. The color of the egg matches the color of the chicken's feathers. Egg sizes increase by the 8th month: during this period, the most productive period of poultry begins.

With proper care, some hens in households begin to lay their first clutches at 4 months of age. This does not affect the overall production period, but is an individual feature of the bird or breed.

Life cycle of chickens

To understand how a bird grows and develops, it is necessary to study in detail its life cycle:

• The appearance of the chicken. The first week of a bird's life is very important. During this period, chickens need a certain feed, temperature control. The highest bird mortality is observed in the first 7 days of life.
• Age from 2 weeks to 4 weeks. During this period, the chicks are transferred to a new room, where the air temperature is 5 ℃ lower. The food is given rougher. This is the period of active weight gain.
• 4-5 months. For egg breeds, this is the age of full maturation of the reproductive system and the beginning of egg production. Up to one year old, laying hens will produce the maximum number of eggs per month. After the first year, productivity will gradually decline. It is important to monitor the correct and nutritious diet of birds.
• First mating with a male. Poultry farmers place females with a rooster for fertilization of eggs and breeding. After mating and laying, hens of purebred breeds hatch future offspring for 20-25 days. Hybrids and crosses have lost their incubation instinct.Therefore, an incubator is needed to breed new livestock.
• Raising chickens. The new mother teaches the chicks to eat independently, find food. A purebred hen protects her chicks from all kinds of dangers.
• 3-5 years of life. A drop in productivity to the point where feed intake exceeds the number of eggs laid. At this age, the bird goes to slaughter.

What affects life expectancy

How old the chickens will live will depend on the correct care and maintenance. For maximum lifespan, birds should have:

1. proper nutrition;
2. optimal conditions of detention;
3. constant examination by a veterinarian;
4. timely vaccination.

Proper nutrition

Birds should have a nutritious and balanced diet. Life expectancy depends on this, as well as productivity.

• The livestock should have breakfast immediately after waking up. In the morning they give a mixture of crushed cereals, boiled potatoes, bran, and shells.
• No later than an hour before bedtime, the birds are fed with cereals.
• It is important not to overfeed the birds. Nutrition occurs three times a day at regular intervals.
• Be sure to add fortified mash, mixed feed to the diet.
• A medium-sized hen should consume no more than 130 grams of feed per day. If a bird eats in excess of the norm, its productivity drops, it can gain excess weight, which will significantly reduce its lifespan.

On a note! The summer diet should be different from the winter one. In the summer, chickens can independently obtain food for themselves while walking. In winter, you will have to diversify the nutrition of the layers yourself.

The diet must contain:

1. peas;
2. legumes;
3. oats;
4. wheat;
5. cake;
6. juicy vegetables;
7. chopped fish and meat residues;
8. shell, chalk.

In the winter season, experienced farmers advise supplementing chickens with sprouted grains and homemade yeast additives.

To germinate the grain, the culture is poured with warm water and left for several days. After the green shoots appear, the additive is ready.

To prepare a yeast supplement, dissolve 30 grams of yeast in one and a half liters of warm water. After complete dissolution of the yeast, the mixture is poured into a kilogram of crushed grain. Leave in a dark place. After 9 hours, the supplement is ready for use.

Conditions of detention

How to properly keep chickens:

1. The chicken coop should be spacious. There are no more than five individuals per square meter.
2. The premises must be kept clean.
3. The floors are covered with straw or sawdust. Thanks to the bedding, chickens freeze less in winter.
4. The house should be equipped with windows. Good lighting improves productivity. Chickens do not rush in the dark. For the winter period, it is important to equip the room with an artificial light source.
5. The air temperature should not fall below 15 ℃ or exceed 25 ℃. Sudden temperature changes negatively affect the health of chickens.
6. The coop should be dry and well ventilated. There should be no drafts.
7. Organization of walking. While walking, the bird independently obtains food with the necessary trace elements.
8. There should be enough feeders and drinkers for each individual.
9. No stress. Chickens are shy, so a loud noise or other annoying factor can lead to illness and reduced productivity.

Breeders install ash baths in the chicken coop. Chickens, coated with ash, get rid of external parasites.

Breed

Life expectancy also depends on the breed of chickens. Egg birds can live up to five years if they have a developed hatching instinct. Universal birds, like egg birds, live long. They are slaughtered after a decrease in productivity. In meat birds, life expectancy rarely exceeds one year. The indicators are relative, as a chicken of one breed or another may not live to puberty due to improper nutrition, inadequate care, or in the presence of an illness.

1. Lohman Brown is one of the most popular laying hen breeds. Early maturing, hardy and unpretentious birds. The average life expectancy is 3 years.
2. Brahma is a large chicken. Previously considered a meat breed, but recently it has been officially recognized as a decorative breed. Ripen for a very long time. The complete formation of the reproductive system ends in the second year of life. They gain mass very quickly. The average life expectancy is 10 years.
3. Cobb 500 - broiler chickens, bred solely for the sake of meat. Live for about 2 months.
4. The Chinese silk chicken is an ornamental breed. Distinctive features include plumage, black bones and black meat. With proper care and maintenance, they live for about 5 years.

Diseases

Birds are susceptible to various kinds of diseases.

1. Infectious - an infection enters the bird's body and the chicken becomes ill. The most common infectious diseases: tuberculosis, colibacillosis, Newcastle disease, pasteurellosis, salmonellosis.
2. Non-infectious - they are not transmitted to the entire livestock, but they carry dangerous consequences for the individual. Among non-infectious diseases, the most common are cloacitis, vitamin deficiency, goiter atony, gastroenteritis.
3. Parasites are internal and external. Very contagious.

What signs indicate that the bird is sick:

• lethargy;
• lack of appetite;
• mucus in the respiratory system;
• refusal of water;
• bloody inclusions in stool;
• loss of feathers not during molting;
• wheezing;
• heat;
• sagging goiter;
• lameness;
• scabies.

On a note! To prevent the disease of the entire livestock, hens with alarming signs are removed from the herd. Consultation of a veterinarian is obligatory.

Tips to Increase Chickens' Longevity

How long does a laying hen live? It depends on a number of factors. The number of years lived by a home or decorative chicken can be increased if you adhere to the following recommendations:

• It is necessary to provide the correct diet for the chickens. It is important that it is balanced. Individuals need to be fed no more than 3 times a day. In the morning, dry food is given (you can use compound feed), at lunch - mash, and in the evening - grain products. The first time you need to feed the chickens no earlier than 9 in the morning, and the last - about an hour before bedtime. Moreover, every evening, a variety of cereals should be alternated: corn, wheat, oats.
• The mode is also very important. I wonder how many chickens live that have not developed it? Their life does not last long, a maximum of 1-2 years, after which they are sent for slaughter. Indeed, due to a lack of light, they cease to lay eggs, so the owner does not see the point in keeping them. It is important to ensure that their daylight hours do not last more than 14 hours. To do this, you should take care of additional lighting in the winter. Otherwise, the birds will be too tired, which will affect their health and productivity.
• It is necessary to make a good ventilation system. The room should not retain moisture, which contributes to the development of fungi and bacteria.
• The temperature in the chicken coop should be stable (20-25 degrees). Heating is recommended in winter to keep the hens from freezing. In conditions of increased heat, birds can die from dehydration.
• It is necessary to provide for the presence of a walking area for birds. Here they can profit from grass, worms, stretch their muscles.
• The chicken coop should be placed in a quiet place, as in conditions of constant noise, laying hens will experience stress.

Thus, the lifespan of chickens largely depends on their owner. It is important to provide them with the correct diet, regime and conditions of detention. This will increase the lifespan of the laying hens.

How long will a laying hen live at home?

Living in a natural environment involves predators and unstable food, as food difficulties are common. The average lifespan of a chicken is 15 years, a fairly decent period.

In household plots, chickens can live up to 4 years.

At home, laying hens are very common. Household farming is not a new habitat for birds, but they live in it for a shorter period of time - from 2 to 4 years. The final decision remains with the owner, he decides how long the laying hen lives. In the third year of life, the number of eggs that such a hen can lay is significantly reduced.

It turns out that the breed is not like that and the laying hen. The owner can get the most eggs from the bird in the first year of life, then, if it is fed correctly, this indicator can be maintained, but not for long. After the chicken has lived for three years, the farmer often decides to send it under the knife, since further maintenance is impractical.

The average lifespan of a laying hen in a domestic environment is 3 years.

Influence of growing conditions on age

The place of keeping is one of the determining factors in the question of a chicken's lifespan. Home conditions provide for an attentive attitude to the bird, the owner is loyal to his birds, in contrast to the workers of poultry farms.

In poultry farms, laying hens are rarely kept longer than 1-1.5 years.

In artificial conditions, the chicken should pay for itself as quickly as possible, or rather the cost of its maintenance. Such conditions negatively affect the habitat of chickens, life expectancy drops sharply.

The main points that positively affect the indicators of the existence of birds:

• Artificial lighting for 14-16 hours.
• The presence of an area where chickens can walk.
• Sufficient area of ​​the room where the chickens live. Each bird must have its own space, in which case the tightness is unacceptable.
• There should be several containers for water and food. They should be placed at a distance from each other so that the birds do not crowd and can eat or drink at any time.
• Ambient temperature (rooms where birds live) - 20 degrees.
• Air humidity is moderate - not more than 70 percent and not less than 50 percent.
• High quality ventilation system.
• Tanks filled with ash, chickens "bathe" in them, this procedure allows you to get rid of a large number of parasites.
• Partial sound insulation, birds should not hear too loud sounds, this is very scary for them.
• There should be an optimal number of females per male. It is important here not to overload the rooster.

Chickens should be able to walk outdoors.

Important. In a farm, a chicken can live for 3 years, this is the optimal period for it if its main purpose is to lay eggs.

Meat breeds of chickens are more dependent on life expectancy, the older the individual, the less quality the meat will be. It loses all its positive and dietary characteristics. It makes no sense to keep such breeds on the farm for a long time. Some poultry farmers can keep their birds at home for 8-9 years.

Long-livers record holders

The oldest chicken on our planet, which was listed in the Guinness Book of Records, lived for 14 years. There are also other record holders for life expectancy, but they are not documented. There is evidence that some chickens lived for a maximum of 25 years.

In China, a case was recorded when a chicken lived 22 bird years - human is 400 years. Yang Shaofu, who is 77 years old, reported this amazing chicken to reporters. In 1988, the daughter-in-law acquired four chickens, three have died long ago, and one is still pleasing to the eyes of the owners. She was originally not like everyone else, because the bird brought the first egg at 2 months, and the rest at six months of age.

Experts say that it is typical for a chicken to live for about 8 years, the maximum duration of a chicken in Ukraine was 12 years.The owner of this amazing bird claims that there are no secrets in longevity.

Each breed has a different lifespan, which can always be increased. In the table you can see the most common breeds and the duration of their life.

The lifespan of a chicken depends on many factors: feeding, maintenance, diseases, various breeds, etc. Before buying chickens, you should make sure for what purpose they are needed, because birds are meat, egg and meat and egg. The average life expectancy is 8 years, but in our world there are record holders who have lived much longer than ordinary chickens.

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Life expectancy of chickens of different breeds

In the question of the life expectancy of birds, a lot is assigned to belonging to the species. Even those birds, which are considered to be decorative record holders in terms of lifespan, can die very quickly if not properly cared for. A number of tendencies in this matter are still present. Many are related to the breed.

The Loman Brown breed is a popular species among modern agricultural workers. Chickens are recognized as the earliest maturing hens, they are hardy and unpretentious. The least amount of money is spent on their maintenance.

Loman Brown chickens are kept in farms for no more than 3 years.

The life expectancy of representatives of this species is 3 years, this is directly related to the fact that older birds no longer lay eggs as they did in the first years.

Brama breed - chickens from this breed are considered the largest in the gene pool of the whole world. For a very long time they were attributed to the meat type, but recently the bramas have been recognized as real decorative chickens.

They are grown for "demonstration performances." Brahmas live for about 10 years, the stage of full puberty ends only in the second year of life. These birds love to eat, so they gain a decent body weight and quickly enough.

Broilers are a meat breed (see the review of the Cobb 500 cross). Broiler chickens are grown specifically for dietary meat. For this, the birds are fed with special compound feed, and their way of life is far from mobile, which allows them to rapidly gain the desired weight.

Broilers on farms are kept for no more than 60 days.

The average lifespan of a broiler is 8 weeks, when this period passes, the bird can be safely put under the knife. If the farmer does not keep broiler chickens for meat, their lifespan may be slightly longer and will not end in killing. Due to the large body weight, the legs of the bird do not withstand pressure and completely atrophy. From this, the chicken can die by its own death.

Chinese silk chickens - birds cannot be confused with another species. They stand out for their original looks and fluffy “hairstyles”. They have five toes on their paws, which are clearly separated from each other. The bones of such a chicken are absolutely black, the color of the skin and meat is also dark.

Birds are bred exclusively for beauty, many of them participate in exhibitions. The lifespan of Chinese silk chickens can be up to 5 years. Taking into account the fact that all the rules for caring for them will be followed.

The lifespan of Chinese silk chickens can be up to 5 years.

The life span of a feathered male directly depends on its direct purpose. In order to regularly receive new livestock and keep egg production at a decent level, one rule should be followed: for 10 females - 1 rooster.

When the living conditions of the birds are far from good, it is worth reducing the load and vice versa. The average life span of a rooster in acceptable living conditions is 4 years.

How many years does a chicken live?

In the vast majority of cases, the period of optimal egg production lasts two years.

The main purpose of egg breeds is to provide a person with eggs. The bird of the indicated direction is kept until it copes with the task assigned to it.

In the vast majority of cases, the period of optimal egg production lasts two years. Productivity peaks in the first year and then gradually declines. Based on this, laying hens in poultry farms, the main focus of which is obtaining eggs, as a rule, live about a year, in farmsteads - twice as long.

The situation is different with poultry raised for meat. The most rapid growth of broiler breeds is observed in the first months of life. In poultry farms, broilers are slaughtered at the age of one and a half months with a weight of 1.5-2 kg, farmers - at three to four months with a weight of about 4 kg.

Further keeping of meat poultry is economically inexpedient.

Chickens of meat and egg breeds are slaughtered at the age of one and a half to two years. Otherwise, the meat becomes unnecessarily tough.

Chickens of meat and egg breeds are slaughtered at the age of one and a half to two years

Small decorative chickens with beautiful plumage and bred to decorate the yard, usually die of old age at the age of 5-7 years.

How many roosters live

How many years do hens and roosters live? Under natural conditions, the male is capable of reaching thirteen years of age. On a farm, roosters do not live up to the age of 13.

If the male is a meat breed, then his life span is equal to the duration of meat females. The reason for this is active weight gain.

If the rooster is from the egg breed and the purpose of keeping the bird is to breed young, then the poultry farmers keep the male exactly as long as his sexual activity lasts. Poultry farmers have one cock for ten chickens. With the right load, the male is active for 4 years. If the farm is large, then experienced farmers take no more than 6 roosters per 100 hens. Under such a load, roosters live for no more than three years. The older the male, the tougher his meat.

What affects life expectancy?

The following factors influence the life expectancy of backyard chickens and their productivity:

• food;
• conditions of detention and care.

The diet

The diet of chickens should be balanced. Only in this case, meat breeds will quickly gain weight, and egg breeds will lay. The offered feed must be fresh, contain all the required minerals and vitamins.

The basis of the diet should be:

• cereals (oats, wheat);
• legumes (soybeans, peas);
• products remaining during the processing of agricultural crops (cake);
• juicy feed (cabbage, greens).

In addition, the composition of the feed should include:

• meat and bone meal;
• meat, fish waste;
• milk products;
• limestone that aids in the digestion of food.

Chickens are fed three to four times a day. The main portion of feed is filled up in the morning and constitutes the daily portion of the diet, the last portion - in the evening and consists entirely of grain.

Overfeeding chickens is undesirable

Daily portions are fed at regular intervals and are damp mash. One bird accounts for 137-140 grams of feed in summer and 116-120 grams in winter.

Overfeeding chickens is undesirable - overfeeding has a negative effect on mobility, productivity, and general health.

The room intended for the living of chickens must be clean, warm (the air temperature should not fall below +10 degrees). The duration of daylight hours should be 14 hours, humidity - 40-70%.

The chicken coop should contain:

• artificial lighting;
• walking area;
• drinkers with a volume of 5-6 liters (the number of containers with water should be sufficient);
• feeders at the rate of 10-15 cm of area per individual, placed above the floor (when placing feeders at the bottom, the chickens will rake the feed);
• heaters;
• ventilation;
• ash baths, necessary to get rid of parasites.

Advice! In the summertime, the water should be changed as often as possible, as it quickly goes bad.

Ventilation is equipped in the following ways:

• installation of windows (their location is selected in such a way that there is no draft);
• by making ventilation holes in the roof (ventilation arranged in this way is optimal for the winter period);
• installation of a ventilation system (most often found in poultry farms).

The walking area (as a rule, an aviary made of a chain-link netting) is located on the south side, equipped with containers for drinking, feed, and fine gravel.

For your information. Wet mash, exposed in the open air, deteriorate quickly - feed should be removed immediately after saturation of the chickens.

In small farms, free range is allowed - the chickens leave the hen house at will and also freely come back. This option allows you to reduce the amount of purchased feed, but the birds can dig up the garden.

How long can a headless chicken survive?

Paradoxically, the headless chicken lives for a few minutes after slaughter. This is explained by the fact that, although in the course of evolution, the brain took over control of the body of birds (animals), the centers of the spinal cord responsible for reflex movements have not disappeared anywhere.

So, a person pulls his hand away from a hot object, acting reflexively. However, he will not be able to sit down, stand up without signals from the brain.

A chicken without a head, but with an intact spinal cord, also moves reflexively. However, life in a decapitated bird body lasts only as long as blood circulates through the arteries and veins (as a rule, this time is several minutes).

For your information. Agonizing, the chicken experiences severe pain, therefore, experiments with decapitation of poultry in their own backyard are not only unethical, but negatively affect the organoleptic characteristics of meat.

Despite the fact that the average chicken lives 6-9 years, the maximum life span of chickens in poultry farms and on farms is about two years.

An exception is the ornamental bird, which serves as a decoration for the yard and, as a rule, dies a natural death.

Life span of a headless bird

People began to ask this question after an incident from the last century. In 1945, a headless rooster from one city in America lived for 1.5 years. He became a star all over the world, and enriched his owners with this. At the end of the research, it was found that he survived due to a blood clot that blocked the jugular venous artery, and this prevented lethal bleeding.

This case blew up the entire Internet, this video tells the details of this story:

To keep the rooster alive, the owner fed and watered directly through the esophagus, and pumped out the secret with a syringe to prevent suffocation. The spinal cord took over important functions for the continuation of life, as a result of which the cock lasted for a whole year and a half, after which it still suffocated and died.

Both a chicken and a rooster can survive without a head for only 20 seconds, during which time a person can flap its wings, twitch and run erratically. Generally the timing of a headless bird depends on the following factors:

• the place of impact;
• the amount of blood leaked;
• anatomical predisposition.