Everyday Chicken Keeping
How Long Do Chickens Live (and Why Most Don't)
How long do chickens live? Five to ten years, and a few go a great deal further. Most never get the chance. What kills them first, and which of it you can do something about.
Come over the fence.
Tell me what your chickens are doing. I've probably seen something equally ridiculous, and we'll work out what's actually going on.
I kept chickens for years. I've checked the numbers so you don't have to. And no, I'm not going to talk about optimizing your flock's wellness. They're chickens.
Start here: water, heat, and thirsty chickens
Water is the most boring part of keeping chickens and the one that causes the most trouble. So that's where I started. How much they drink, what heat does to them, and why she's ignoring the clean water you just put out.
Water & Hydration
Chicken Heat Stress: Is She Dying or Just Being Dramatic?
Your hen's standing in the shade with her beak open and her wings out like she's airing her armpits. Nine times out of ten she's fine. Here's how to spot the tenth time, and what to do in the next five minutes.
Water & Hydration
Signs of Dehydration in Chickens (and Why She Won't Drink)
Chickens hide being sick like it's a personal failing, so by the time one looks thirsty she's been thirsty a while. What a dry hen looks like, the seven reasons she's boycotting the waterer, and how to get water into her.
About this place
Years ago I lived on a farm in Gingin, Western Australia, with a young family and a flock of hens who ran the place. I live in the city now, where chickens aren't allowed, so this is where I keep them instead.
The Hot Weather Flock Checklist
One page to stick on the fridge before a heat wave: water, shade, air, and the signs that mean stop reading and go outside.
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