How Many Years Does A Chicken Live?

life span of a chicken

The chicken lives for a period ranging between (3 – 7) years, and it may last for a longer period of up to 12 years if it receives good care such as; The availability of safe housing away from predators, and the absence of genetic problems with it, and the main cause of chicken death is humans in order to obtain meat.

The hen begins to produce eggs at the age of between (18-20) weeks, and continues to lay eggs in the first three years of her life, then production decreases, and the hen lays one egg per day, depending on the length of the day, and the hen stops producing eggs when she receives less than 12 hours of daylight, in the winter.

How long does a hen live without food and water?

The new chick, when raised, can go without water or food for a longer period; Because albumin moisture and nutrients make it alive for 72 hours, and for a small-sized chick it grows very quickly in nature, and therefore its metabolism is fast, so it needs to drink water frequently, and if it is not available for a period of more than 6 hours it dies even in All weather conditions.

An adult chicken can survive up to 48 hours without water in moderate weather conditions, while in hot weather an adult chicken will die of dehydration after only 8 hours.

In very cold weather, the chicken lives a little longer without water, because it will eat snow.

Factors affecting the life span of a chicken

There are several factors that affect the life span of a chicken, namely:

hen breed

Among the breeds are those who live longer than others, as the laying hen has a short life due to the stress of the egg production process, as its average life ranges between (3-5) years, while the dual-purpose hen that is raised for the purpose of meat and egg production has a longer life than the laying hens, and the average life ranges from She is between (6-8) years old.

Feed and diet

It is one of the important elements for raising chickens, as the use of poor-quality feed in the diet contributes to the occurrence of nutritional deficiencies and the early emergence of diseases, and moderation must be given in providing food, as obesity negatively affects the health of the chicken.

Number of chickens inside the barn

The ventilation process is very important inside the barn, and it is important to provide high-quality air, especially when keeping the chicken inside the barn for a long time, as it is exposed to respiratory diseases from dust and closed spaces.

chicken life cycle

The chicken life cycle goes through five stages, namely:

The first stage: fertilization

It lasts for one minute, and the process of fertilizing the egg takes place inside the funnel of the genital tract of the hen, and the most prominent behaviors to achieve this are: flirting with the hen, urinating, dropping and picking up food, and courtship dance.

The second stage: the embryo of the egg

It lasts for 21 days, during which several changes occur until the embryo of the egg grows, and on the last day hatching takes place within 18 hours, and the chicks remain in the incubator for a period of time up to 48 hours.

Third stage: chick

It lasts for 12 weeks, then the chick dries up and fluffs up, moves from incubation, and is provided with water, food (protein, vitamins, and minerals) and light, grows rapidly, gains weight, and loses its light feathers at the start of the fourth week, then begins to distinguish between females and males at week 12 with the appearance of feathers. , and learns some things such as the food that should be eaten, and the chicks must be protected, watched, and kept by their side.

Fourth stage: Farkha

It lasts for 12 weeks, when the chick becomes a small bird at the age of 4 weeks, and sexual differences appear between the strains, and each bird knows its place in the herd, and begins moving in different directions, and this may lead to injury, and when it becomes one-third of the size of an adult chicken, it merges with it in the barn itself.