Navigating the 'Henopause': Caring for Aging Hens in Your Backyard Flock

 

Introduction: Emotions of Raising Hens

Never shall I forget the day I first encountered Ginger, my feisty Rhode Island Red. She emerged strutting from the coop, her mahogany feathers glistening in the morning light, and gave me a look that promised: I’m running this show. From that day forward, I knew she would not only be a prolific egg artist but, a beloved member of our small farmstead family.

Ginger ruled the roost for years, laying faithfully and telling her flockmates to get in line with an adorable combination of nurturing clucks and no-nonsense pecks. She met me at the coop door every day, waiting for scratches and kitchen scraps. As the years went by, her egg production declined, her once resplendent plumage dulled and her gait slowed, but her place in our hearts grew only larger.

Ginger was entering what many harebrained people affectionately refer to as “henopause” — that bittersweet time in a laying hen’s life when her prolific egg-laying winds down and she evolves into a feathery retiree. It’s a normal stage every healthy hen goes through, but one that can be an emotional journey for those of us who have come to love these quirky, clever animals.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at what the henopause means, in both a scientific and emotional sense. We’ll address how to tailor your care routines for a happy, healthy, comfortable old hen. And we’ll explore the evolution of older hens’ place within the flock and how to ethically approach the health decline that eventually comes.

Whether you’ve kept chickens for years or are newer to the joys and difficulties of keeping a flock in the back yard, I hope this guide helps you see, and take care of, your hens through all the stages of life. Because as any doting flock owner knows, chickens are more than livestock — they’re family.

Lesson Plan 2 | Henopause: The Science of It

Henopause, the end of egg laying in chickens, is a biological process that is regulated by hormones (Berry, 2003). Like human menopause, it signals the end of a hen’s reproductive life.

About 18-20 weeks of age most hens are beginning to lay eggs, peak production is reached in the first year of their life and is then slowly decreased (Scanes, 2010). Most heritage breeds are capable of laying productively for 5-7 years, and enter henopause later, but hybrid breeds bred for intensive egg production can experience henopause earlier, around 2-3 years of age (Jacob, 2015).

As hens get older, their ovaries and oviducts become less efficient at making the ova and albumen that make for an egg (Johnson, 2000). Your older hens’ eggs may be larger but less frequent, with thinner, more brittle shells — that’s because their reproductive tract is gradually going out of business.

An older hen may appear scruffier and less sleek than younger flockmates, as she may molt more often and regrow feathers more slowly. Her comb and wattles may blanch from bright red to a duller pink, and her previously bright eyes may develop a pearlier sheen. She might become less active, spending more time resting and foraging less energetically.

These aging signs can be bittersweet for flock members to see. On the one hand it’s difficult to see a once-cheerful hen slow down. Conversely, witnessing a hen living her golden years is an accolade to a job well done and a life well-lived. In a world where the vast majority of commercial laying hens are put to pasture after just one or two laying cycles, it’s a rare privilege to have an “old biddy” clucking around your coop petting zoo.

Nutrition, health and comfort of older hens

The care you give your hens needs to keep up with them as they age. Things you should know about elder hen husbandry include:

Diet Adjustments

As older hens lay fewer eggs, their caloric needs decline, but their dietary protein needs actually increase. Why? Because it takes protein to maintain themselves, leaving less to make eggs (Biggs & Parsons, 2008). Many experts recommend switching to a higher-protein “breeder” formula feed (around 18-20% protein).

Calcium is still essential for bone health, despite shell being produced less. Provide free-choice oyster shell or a calcium supplement to keep your old girls strong and avoid fractures in their more fragile senior years.

Hand-feeding time-tested poultry favorites like mealworms, scrambled eggs and warm oatmeal can help with protein and keep an older hen in good weight. Moist treats are particularly helpful if your hen has aged out a bit with foraging eyesight or has a more feeble beak.

Coop Modifications

Hens over the age of 2 usually face decline in agility, balance and mobility (Tomaszewski et al., 2017). Shed their environment to make life easier on creaky joints. Get it down to just 6-12 inches off the ground, adding a ramp for easier access.

Add extra bedding in the nest boxes to cushion older hens’ foot pads and keel bones. Straw, wood chips and even recycled paper can form a softer landing pad.

In addition, ensure that water and feed are readily available to a hen who might not be able to walk far or climb high. In cold weather, older hens are more sensitive to chills so consider adding supplemental heat sources, like heat plates or warming perches.

Health Maintenance

Geriatric hens have a higher prevalence of arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, and reproductive cancers (Rivera, 2020). Keep a close watch on your oldsters for early signs of pain or lethargy. At least once a year, if possible, get a veterinary checkup.

As with old humans, older hens may have decreased renal function, so be sure your girls always have plenty of fresh, clean water available to avoid dehydration (Hawkins et al., 2014).

An aging immune system may have a harder time fighting off common pests, such as mites and lice, so ensure the coop is kept spotless and parasite-free. To help your hens stay healthy, use natural repellents like diatomaceous earth, wood ash, or herb sachets.

Seasonal Considerations

Extreme temperatures strain an older hen’s system. In summer, offer more shade, breezes and cool water. You can always provide a misting fan or offer chilled treats such as watermelon or frozen berries on hot days.

In winter, ensure that your coop maintains adequate ventilation while avoiding drafts to prevent dampness and frostbite (Clauer, 2013). Lodge additional straw in protected spots so your older hens can snuggle in; if you have breeds with bald patches or scanty feathering, consider a sweater or coat.

With a few easy adjustments to your care routines, you can help your venerable hens continue to feel spry and content far into their golden years. Adjust your approach to every individual bird's needs, and reach out to an avian veterinarian for advice if you suspect an AHS is developing.

The Function of an Older Hen in the Flock

Although older hens might not lay regularly anymore, they continue to fill valuable niches in the social structure of the flock. They’re like the matriarchs keeping an eye on their flock.

Older hens serve as sentinels in the wild, looking for predators while younger hens forage (Birklid, 2015). They also help teach juveniles the best places to dust bathe, scratch and find tasty morsels.

Even in a backyard situation, older hens are an important mentoring influence, showing the young whippersnappers the ropes of poultry life. They model good nesting behavior, mediate squabbles, and make hens who’ve just completed their first molt less self-conscious about their new ‘do.

Though sometimes, a less sprightly older hen can end up getting picked on by younger more active birds. Look for signs that a better established aging hen is consistently being chased away from food and water or is being disproportionately picked on. You might have to isolate her for a period of time, or put her in with a more mellow group.

Tough Choices: When a Hen’s Health Declines

As much as we hope our girls stay spry and sassy forever, there may come a day when you, as a compassionate flock keeper, have to make some hard choices about an old girl’s quality of life.

Chickens are notoriously stoic animals, masking signs of pain and weakness until they can hide them no longer. If you observe a hen that is fluffed up, reluctant to move, or won’t eat or drink, it’s time to start discussing supportive care or humane euthanasia with your veterinarian (Burton, 1993).

Certain ailments, such as mild arthritis or a treatable respiratory illness, can be dealt with using pain medications, special accommodations and TLC. But if a hen is afflicted with an incurable condition, such as advanced reproductive cancer or a painful, debilitation injury, euthanasia may be the most compassionate decision.

One of the most harrowing aspects of raising animals is coming to terms with the mortality of a creature you’ve cared for from a little fluffball. Allow yourself to have space to mourn, and work to remember the good moments of your time together. I still get misty thinking about my sweet Ginger’s last days, but I know I did right by her in the end.

Keeping Hens as Pets vs. Their Productivity

As hen-keeping evolved from an agricultural activity to a trendy suburban and urban activity, flock owners increasingly are deciding to treat their ladies as pets first and egg producers second. The idea of a retirement flock, where spent hens are allowed to live naturally in gratitude for their years of service, has gained ground among hobbyists.

For many of us, the delight of keeping these clever, personable birds goes way beyond their egg-laying years. “I could never cull my girls just because they are no longer laying,” according to long-time chicken keeper Jenna Thompson. "They're part of the family. As long as they have quality of life, then they have a forever home with me.”

That in itself is a changing attitude toward chickens that mirrors a growing understanding that chickens aren’t just livestock; they’re also sentient beings with distinct personalities, idiosyncrasies and pleasantries that endear them to the humans who keep them. Blood, sweat and tears on salmon fishing grounds, hemmed in by scaly flanks and clammy skin– the brooding lard, reeking of shellvurchains on your fingertips– is as numbing as forever hearing the clucky old biddy greeting you at the door.

Ultimately, whether to keep an old, unproductive hen is a personal decision that every flock owner must make according to their own values, resources and emotional bandwidth. However, for many, the benefits of giving these feathered friends a loving retirement outweigh the costs.

Readers may see this as an overly idealistic conclusion: a full life, by definition, will be beautiful, ugly or socially unacceptable.

Seeing my dear Ginger turn grey has been a crash course in the beauty of a well-lived life. At her best, she was a hilarious but noble presence in the coop, cherished for her sassy streaks and her unflinching regard for her brood. In the end, she was a gentle sage, happy to nestle into sunlit patches and bask in languorous dirt baths.

As backyard hen keepers, we experience the full arch of our birds’ lives, from downy chicks to driven layers to sweet old biddies. At every stage, they reward us with eggs, entertainment and a humbling reminder of the cycles of nature in action.

We connect to these special creatures so much deeper now that we walk the henopause of life with kindness and compassion. It demands that we not see them as mere units of production but as living, feeling human beings deserving of comfort and care until their last indrawn breath.

So here’s to all the grizzled old matriarchs presiding over coops and all the doting owners making their golden years as gilded and joy-filled as possible. May we all be so fortunate to grow old with such grace and care. Ginger, this one's for you.

References:

Berry, W. D. (2003). The physiology of induced molting. Poultry Science, 82(6), 971-980.

 

Biggs, P. E., & Parsons, C. M. (2008). The effects of several oligosaccharides on growth performance, nutrient digestibilities, and cecal microbial populations in young chicks. Poultry Science, 87(11), 2311-2319.

 

Birklid, C. (2015). Older hens still valuable contributors to flocks. Poultry World. https://www.poultryworld.net/Meat/Articles/2015/3/Older-hens-still-valuable-contributors-to-flocks-1726974W/

 

Burton, L. (1993). When to euthanize. Poultry Press, 36-37.

 

Clauer, P. (2013). Winter care for chickens. Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/winter-care-for-chickens

 

Hawkins, M. G., Ngo, S., Burton, E. C., Murphy, C. J., Taylor, I. T., & Paul-Murphy, J. (2014). Geriatric pet bird medicine. Veterinary Clinics: Exotic Animal Practice, 17(3), 301-317.

 

Jacob, J. (2015). Poultry as Pets. Small and Backyard Flocks. https://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sfn/f15poultrykids

 

Johnson, A. L. (2000). Reproduction in the female. In Sturkie's avian physiology (pp. 569-596). Academic press.

 

Rivera, S. (2020). Geriatric diseases of pet birds. MSD Veterinary Manual. https://www.msdvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/pet-birds/geriatric-diseases-of-pet-birds

 

Scanes, C. G. (2010). Sturkie's Avian Physiology. Elsevier Science & Technology.

 

Tomaszewski, M. A., Verdonschot, N., Buma, P., & Verkerke, G. J. (2017). Effects of age, locomotion speed, and gait on hind leg joint kinematics in healthy broiler chickens. Poultry Science, 96(8), 2541-2546.