Cinnamon Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Pansy,my dear Rhode Star has died I need to know if its likely I am losing these hens to 'old age' or if I have another underlying issue here. I have lost 2 hens in 6 weeks, both Meadowsweet hybrids,bought at the same time & both about 2 years old. I lost another at around the same age just after Christmas, & another a couple of months prior to that. All went in the same way. 1 - Not laying anymore, seeming less active, maybe also laying odd thin shelled eggs. 2 - Within a month or so,seeming very slow 3 - A couple of weeks later comb flopping,blue tinged, not moving around at all, not doing normal 'chickeny' things. 4 - Death I worm my girls very regularly with Flubenvet, have seen no evidence of worms in the tray & also treat them with Eprinex for lice every 6 weeks (also acts as a wormer) So,is this just the natural way of things & my girls are fluttering off,or do I have something to worry about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Sorry to read about it Cinnamon. 2 years doen't seem very old does it? Are they all from the same breeder and were they vaccinated before you got them? Rotten for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 so sorry to hear this. I really dont know what to suggest and I agree with eglutine, 2 years really isnt that old, I would expect 4 years myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 That's very sad They do seem a little young I lost 2 hybrids quite close together last year and got a little worried, I don't think it's anything you are doing, perhaps some hybrids have a shorter life expectancy Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Sorry to hear about Pansy. Although 2 years old doesn't seem very old, I would have thought if there was an underlying problem then it would have shown itself much earlier, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted June 6, 2008 Author Share Posted June 6, 2008 Thanks all Some people seem to think that 2 years is the sort of age a Hybrid will live to I have lost a White Star, a Rhode Star a Pepperpot & a Speckled Star all at around that age. 3 were from Meadowsweet,one was an Omlet hen. They were all vaccinated. I am not sure what to think now,really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I lost my 2 Gingernuts at the same time. They were nearly 3. They were both very good layers and certainly didn't take a day off every week. They had both stopped laying 10-12 months before they died, but seemed happy. Kim had sterile peritonitis, undiagnosed but I'm fairly sure. Kath seemed absolutely fine. My conclusion was that they were such good layers they exhausted themselves. They lived a third of their lives in retirement and then died. I think it was all quite natural. Talking to others when we met at Greenwich soon afterwards, we all agreed that 2-3 years old is about normal for Gingernuts. We also thought that the Pepperpots seemed to have more days off laying and therefore lasted a little longer. I don't think you need to worry Cinnamon, but I'm sorry you've lost another hen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted June 6, 2008 Author Share Posted June 6, 2008 Thanks Ginette, that has helped put my mind at rest My hens were all fab layers,but with all of them their eggs got weird towards the end - thin shelled,odd shaped,ridged & so forth. I guess that shows that their natural egg cycle was exhausted too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I'm glad you're feeling less worried now. It sounds like old age with the funny eggs etc. It's still sad when they go though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I'm sorry to hear that Sarah . The fact that you say that their eggs were 'wonky' towards the end points to them just being 'on the way out' Hybrids have a very limited lifespan - they're bred to lay eggs and like our own ovaries only have so many eggs in them, as they draw to the end, their ovaries and various egg tackle glands just start to pack up, hence the odd eggs. Sometimes, they gradually stop laying eggs and live a couple more years in stately retirement, but unfortunately they usually just flutter off as chicken angels. I don't think there was an underlying health problem, just lovely hens that have reached the end of their shelf life. Console yourself that they couldn't have had a better chicken mummy and were cherished as much as any hen could wish for. Big hugs coming down the road to you XXXOOO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Aww, sorry to hear about Pansy Sarah. My Beryl gingernut went the same way, she was about 2 and a half. She just slowed right down and died in her sleep a few days later. Although we'd had some good eggs after her moult, they were very erratic and towards the end of last year they were very weird shapes and soft shelled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Its very sad news, sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daj198 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Sorry to hear about Pansy, Sarah. One of mine is not well and I've been getting softshelled and odd shaped eggs so I think Penny is on the way out too. At least she lived to her expected age, a lot of chicken lives are cut short by foxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 So sorry to hear about Pansy, Sarah . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen&Lee Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Sorry to hear about Pansy Sarah, I'm sure you are doing all you can... Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Sorry to hear Sarah One of mine was about 3 when she died. I just put it down to lots of egg laying and no days off. She also just slowed right down and then dropped off her perch so to speak at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 It's so sad when they grow old and die, and it happens so quickly. My Pepperpot faded away like this just before her third birthday. Hybrids have such a short life. I know they can live to the age of five, but I don't think many of them do. If you have space for more hens, I think that the answer is to replace each hybrid that dies with two pure breeds. (Warning: They are three times the price of a hybrid, eat twice as much, and produce half as many eggs.) I started off wanting eggs, and ended up wanting hens: it's very strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Sorry to hear about Pansy, Sarah. I'm sure it is nothing you have done, you give them a wonderful life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfrock Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 oh Sarah that is so sad. It is difficult enough to lose one, but 4 in such a short period of time ..... I often wish mine would ease up on their laying, just to have a bit of a rest. Big hugs coming your way x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egg Lou Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 So sorry to hear you have lost more girls. Hope you are ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
