How long do Chickens live in South Africa

How long do Chickens live in South Africa

What is the longest living breed of chicken in SA? In South Africa, the average chicken will live for anywhere from three to seven years. Why such a wide range? Mostly because there are so many different kinds of chickens living under a wide range of conditions. A well-cared-for hen could live as long as 12 years. How long do Chickens live in South Africa

Since there are so many breeds of chickens each with their own unique life span. The question of chicken longevity is best approached on a case-by-case basis.

As we consume broilers around every 6 weeks, that is typically their average lifespan, but if grown naturally on a free range farm, a broiler can see up to 3 years of happy living.

Egg-laying chickens – at least the kind that are raised on commercial farms have similarly abbreviated lives. They scratch out an average of two years before they start to slow down their egg production and make the transition to poultry. Even if an egg-laying hen avoids the slaughterhouse, it’s likely to succumb to other diseases associated with all that genetic tinkering, like reproductive tumors and egg yolk peritonitis.

In contrast, what’s known as a heritage hen is similar to the chicken your grandmother may have had pecking around the back door. These are chickens that haven’t been bred for the dinner table. Nature alone holds sway over their genes.

As a result, heritage hens live about eight years. They’re often kept in backyards, where there isn’t such an imperative to maximize egg production or bulking up their meaty bits.

How long does a Rhode Island Red Chicken Live?

Chances are you’ve seen a Rhode Island Red. Since it first showed up in South Africa in the early 1900’s — the product of a Malay rooster and a local chickens. Hence, it’s the state bird of Rhode Island.

As the name suggests, these birds are clad entirely in dark red feathers. But being considered both an egg-layer and meat provider means these birds don’t exactly enjoy the longest lives.

Still, a Rhode Island Red allowed to live out its life will typically scratch out more than 8 years.

How long does a Rhode Island Red Chicken Live -  How long do Chickens live in South Africa
Rhode Island Red Chicken can live up to 8 Years

How long does a Lohmann Brown Chicken Live?

Average is between 2-3 years. Yet, in rare cases, they’ll live to be 5 to 8 years old. Just like with all chicken breeds, how long they’ll live depends on how well you take care of them

How long does a Lohmann Brown Chicken Live? How long do Chickens live in South Africa

How long does a Golden Comets Chicken Live?

These gloriously named chickens dominate the egg-laying industry. And, as high-volume producers, they’re prone to all the health vulnerabilities that brings. Even if they don’t fall victim to a tumor in the digestive tract, they’re unlikely to reach their full natural lifespan. which is estimated to be 10 to 15 years.

How long do Chickens live in South Africa- How long does a Golden Comets Chicken Live
Golden Comet Chickens can live up to 15 years

How long does a Wyandottes Chickens Live?

These pretty speckled fowl are also good egg-layers. But they haven’t experienced quite so much genetic tinkering. In fact, they’re still considered heritage hens — which helps ensure they don’t fall under the commercial yoke, and the attendant premature death that brings.

Don’t get the Wyandotte Chicken confused for the South African Koekoek. As a backyard chicken, a Wyandotte can live anywhere from 6 to 12 years.

How long do Chickens live in South Africa- How long does a Wyandottes Chickens Live
Wyandottes Chickens can live up to 12 years

How long does a Orpingtons Chicken Live?

The Orpington falls in line with other birds of a similar feather, eking out anywhere from five to, in exceptional cases up to 20 years. As prolific egg-layers, however, they can also fall prey to the intestinal issues that come with the job.

How long do Chickens live in South Africa - How long does a Orpingtons Chicken Live
In exceptional cases the Orpingtons can live to 20 years

How long does a Plymouth Rock Chicken Live?

This handsome bird was actually named after America’s crowning moment the disembarkation point of the earliest Pilgrims in the 18th century. Unfortunately, this hen didn’t get to share in the wealth of the New World, being considered an excellent source of both meat and eggs.

In fact, in the early 20th century it was the most popular chicken in the New World, which definitely left a mark on its life expectancy of between 10 and 12 years.

How long do Chickens live in South Africa
How long does a Plymouth Rock Chicken Live?
The Plymouth Rock can live up to 12 years

The big breeds and how long they will live

Housing, living conditions and access to medical care are key factors in determining whether a chicken will go the distance. Not to mention the very important distinction between a heritage hen and its hybrid counterpart.But genetics can be subtle.

And whether a bird that isn’t bred for the dinner table lives an extra year or two may come down to its breed.

What factors play a role in a chicken’s lifespan?

While being born as a heritage or hybrid chicken is a pretty crucial factor in determining how long a chicken will live, there are plenty of other life-extending, or life-abbreviating, issues to consider.

Health issues

Chickens get diseases, too. While some infections caused by parasites like mites and ticks can result in skin-deep irritations, others can seriously curtail a chicken’s life.

Coccidiosis is chief among them. Spread by the eponymously titled Coccidian protozoa, the disease targets a chicken’s gut. It ravages those intestinal cells to the pint of extreme appetite loss and an inability to absorb nutrients.

Boosting natural defenses

Additives in food, particularly those that bolster the immune system, can go a long way toward protecting chickens from disease. Also, many chickens are immunized at an early age, with vaccinations proving successful against deadly diseases from fowl cholera to Newcastle disease.

Keeping birds parasite-free is also essential to helping them live a long life, as mites and ticks are known to spread disease.

Living conditions of your chickens

Food additives and vaccinations may play an important role in keeping a chicken around longer. But it’s also important to keep a chicken healthy, happy and sheltered.

How long do Chickens live in South Africa – Keeping your chickens safe

Want a chicken to lead a long life? Keep them safe from predators. Let’s face it, you’re not the only animal who thinks chickens taste like, well, chickens. Chickens running loose are easy prey for foxes, owls, raccoons and even dogs.

Backyard chicken owners who haven’t built adequate physical protection for their birds are also known to lose them to the more-than-proverbial fox in the hen-house.

  • making the latch to their enclosure high off the ground and hard to open
  • liberal use of chicken wire
  • be vigilant for holes that appear in the fencing
  • keep the coop closed at night
  • keep a rooster around to sound the alarm bell and maybe even freak out a predator
  • guinea fowl are even louder and more obnoxious than roosters

Better Housing can add age to a chicken

It’s one thing to build a fortress for chickens to feel safe inside, but a chicken’s lifespan is also tied to its life quality. Housing plays a major role in that. Chickens need enough space in their coops to avoid being trampled by their nervous neighbors. They also need a temperature-controlled environment. Having a roof over one’s head to protect against snow and rain is always a good thing. But what happens when it gets sweltering hot under that roof? Likewise, a coop needs heating in bone-chilling winter.

Even dust and dirt add up, causing respiratory issues for birds kept in tight quarters.

The big breeds and how long they will live

Housing, living conditions and access to medical care are key factors in determining whether a chicken will go the distance. Not to mention the very important distinction between a heritage hen and its hybrid counterpart.But genetics can be subtle.

And whether a bird that isn’t bred for the dinner table lives an extra year or two may come down to its breed.

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How long do Chickens live in South Africa

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