How can you tell if a chicken is dying of old age?

[Kakaruk]

Hi, we have a Rhode Island White chicken the kids named 'Courmand' after the chef on Wild Kratts........ The last year or so she's had more white/gray in her face area and was still laying through this season but her eggs were thin shelled. Now she does not appear to be laying really but the weirdest thing is that she is making this pipping sound instead of clucking. It is literally like a 'pip-squeak' sort of sound. She's never made this sound before. I've never heard a chicken make this sound. She also looks a little like she's having trouble breathing but of course it's been hot.

I think she is around 5-6 years old, not exactly how old she was when we got her.

How can you tell if and when a chicken is dying of old age? Thank you for any advice!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Typically they'll slow down, eat less, become thin, abit raggedy, usually no longer laying eggs, sometimes becomes a hermit.(I have a 6 year old Mille Fleur D'uccle hen)

I have the feeling this is gonna be her last year around. I'm letting her pass naturally.

She just started molting, which is gonna put more strain on her old her old body, so I have to make sure she gets enough protein to pull through the molt.


My old girl Spunky.

There's not much you can do but provide comfort, & love until they pass. A hospice for chickens, you can think of it as.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hi, we have a Rhode Island White chicken the kids named 'Courmand' after the chef on Wild Kratts........ The last year or so she's had more white/gray in her face area and was still laying through this season but her eggs were thin shelled. Now she does not appear to be laying really but the weirdest thing is that she is making this pipping sound instead of clucking. It is literally like a 'pip-squeak' sort of sound. She's never made this sound before. I've never heard a chicken make this sound. She also looks a little like she's having trouble breathing but of course it's been hot.

I think she is around 5-6 years old, not exactly how old she was when we got her.

How can you tell if and when a chicken is dying of old age? Thank you for any advice!

It is molting season, so the slow production could be due to that. Are there any feathers in the coop?

 

[Kakaruk]

Thank you Mystery Chicken! Your girl is still pretty cute in her old age! I think my girl is experiencing some similar symptoms/needs. She seems skinnier and slowing down some. I do have some molting in the coop, it's not Courmand as far as I can tell. As I shared, she's making an odd pipping sound, which she's never made before. I suspect she's in her golden year/s.

 

[Kakaruk]

Will we see her actively dying? Lying on the ground, slow breathing etc. Or is it more like we will go out one morning and find her in rigor mortis?

I don't mean to sound morbid in any way. I've raised lots of broilers and had laying hens as well as turkeys, ducks etc. but I have never had any poultry old enough to die of 'old age.'

She's still making the pipping sounds looks like she's having trouble swallowing, for a while anyway. Then she appears to swallow okay.