How long do cuckoo Marans life for?

[Chicken_Tender_WPGB]

Hi sorry if this the wrong place for asking but I'm dealing with the loss of a pair of three year old legbars Goldie and Bobbie this year and now I'm worried about my Marans Wendy and Pepsi.

I read both breeds live 5 to 10 but now I'm learning many chickens die around three because of tumors on their ovaries.

I suppose I just want to brace myself and know what to expect.

ETA. They both passed within four months of eachother after being put to sleep at the vets. Both had tumors.

 

[igorsMistress]

I’m so sorry for your loss. There’s really no telling how long they’ll live, just like any other animal. Most chickens have a similar projection for life span, one breed doesn’t have an edge over another. Many diseases show similar symptoms in chickens, so the only way to know why the girls passed is to get a necropsy. That would tell you for sure what happened and whether there’s disease in your flock you may not be aware of.

Here’s a link to state labs. You can send the bird to any state, doesn’t have to be your own. Birds can’t be frozen just refrigerated. Good luck to you and the rest of your flock

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/➡-necropsy-disease-testing-state-labs-info.1236884/

 

[Chicken_Tender_WPGB]

I’m so sorry for your loss. There’s really no telling how long they’ll live, just like any other animal. Most chickens have a similar projection for life span, one breed doesn’t have an edge over another. Many diseases show similar symptoms in chickens, so the only way to know why the girls passed is to get a necropsy. That would tell you for sure what happened and whether there’s disease in your flock you may not be aware of.

Here’s a link to state labs. You can send the bird to any state, doesn’t have to be your own. Birds can’t be frozen just refrigerated. Good luck to you and the rest of your flock

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/➡-necropsy-disease-testing-state-labs-info.1236884/

Thank you, something I should of mentioned but didn't think of is they died four months apart and were both examined and put to sleep by vets. I'm guessing I'm just coming to terms with their life spans being shorter than I imagined.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you, something I should have mentioned but didn't think of is they died four months apart and were both examined and put to sleep by vets. I'm guessing I'm just coming to terms with their life spans being shorter than I imagined.

I completely understand your heartache. They touch our hearts in unexpected ways. I try to remember the funny things they did that made me laugh and it always brings me a smile.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

It is random with chickens, their lifespan can be all over the place no matter their breed. Some breeds are just more susceptible to diseases than others. I am sorry for your loss, I hope your remaining chickens will live for a long time! Tumors in the ovary is something that I rarely hear causing the death of a hen. The top cause of death I hear is predators/people putting waterfowl with landfowl.

 

[Mrs. K]

I sometimes worry about very sensitive people having chicken. I know there are a lot of posts about long lived chickens, but really anything over 3 is old. Regardless the breed, a lot of them will begin to pass. It is like people, some die earlier than others.

Not having a flock all the same age, kind of helps. But really this might not be the hobby for you.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I sometimes worry about very sensitive people having chicken.

I have seen people act more much more sensitive (and those are the people who should not have chickens). In my opinion, the poster does not seem "very sensitive" at all, they are worried about death and that is normal. It is good to be sensitive to death, otherwise you would be uncaring and cruel.

Not having a flock all the same age, kind of helps.

This is true, so you do not experience multiple deaths around the same time. It is harder to deal with death when you have that happening.

But really this might not be the hobby for you.

I would not say that, exactly. Like I said above, it is natural to be worried and upset over death. Being constantly worried to the point of it getting unhealthy for the person or their chickens, however, is definitely not right. But the poster does not seem like that. They are just asking about the lifespan of chickens and mourning over loss (a normal thing that is supposed to happen).

 

[Mrs. K]

Well, the original poster is still mourning months after the deaths, and is very worried about her other birds. I think she would need to consider if this is right for her. A lot of people are not used to pets dying, and the loss of that companionship is hardship, and loss is pretty possible with chickens.

 

[rosemarythyme]

There's no magic numbers for chickens as others have mentioned, but my Marans have been fairly healthy, though the tradeoff is they're not very productive. I've had 3 Marans so far and haven't lost any yet, they're 6, 4 and under 1 year old. The 4-year-old is a Cuckoo.

 

[Mayakovsky]

Well, the original poster is still mourning months after the deaths, and is very worried about her other birds. I think she would need to consider if this is right for her. A lot of people are not used to pets dying, and the loss of that companionship is hardship, and loss is pretty possible with chickens.

wow.......that is pretty heartless a comment. let the OP be disappointed and sad - even months after. let the OP be different from you. do you eat yours once they are done laying?