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

Navigating the 'Henopause': Caring for Aging Hens in Your Backyard Flock
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Introduction: Emotionsâof Raising Hens
Never shall I forget the day I first encounteredâGinger, my feisty Rhode Island Red. Sheâemerged strutting from the coop, her mahogany feathers glistening in the morning light, and gave me a look that promised: Iâm running this show. From that day forward, I knew she would not only be a prolific egg artist but, a belovedâmember of our small farmstead family.
Gingerâruled 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 metâme 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 grewâonly larger.
Ginger was entering what many harebrained people affectionately referâto as âhenopauseâ â that bittersweet time in a laying henâs life when her prolific egg-laying winds down and she evolves into a feathery retiree. Itâs a normal stage every healthy hen goes through, but one that can be an emotionalâjourney for those of us who have come to love these quirky, clever animals.
In this post, weâll take a closer look at what the henopause means, inâboth a scientific and emotional sense. Weâll addressâhow to tailor your care routines for a happy, healthy, comfortable old hen. And weâll explore the evolution of older hensâ place within the flockâand how to ethically approach the health decline that eventually comes.
Whether youâve 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 youâsee, and take care of, your hens through all the stages of life. Because as any doting flock owner knows, chickens are more thanâlivestock â theyâre family.
Lesson Planâ2 | Henopause: The Science of It
Henopause,âthe end of egg laying in chickens, is a biological process that is regulated by hormones (Berry, 2003). Likeâhuman menopause, it signals the end of a henâs 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 slowlyâdecreased (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 henopauseâearlier, around 2-3 years of age (Jacob, 2015).
As hens get older, their ovaries and oviducts become less efficient at makingâthe ova and albumen that make for an egg (Johnson, 2000). Your older hensâ eggs may be larger but less frequent, with thinner, more brittle shellsââ thatâs 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 regrowâfeathers more slowly. Her comb and wattles may blanch from bright red to a dullerâpink, and her previously bright eyes may develop a pearlier sheen. She might become less active, spending more timeâresting and foraging less energetically.
Theseâaging signs can be bittersweet for flock members to see. On theâone hand itâs difficult to see a once-cheerful hen slow down. Conversely, witnessingâa 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, itâs a rare privilegeâto have an âold biddyâ clucking around your coop petting zoo.
Nutrition, health and comfort of olderâhens
The care you give your hens needs to keep up with them asâthey age. Things you should know aboutâelder hen husbandry include:
Diet Adjustments
As older hens lay fewer eggs, their caloric needs decline, but their dietary protein needsâactually increase. Why? Becauseâit takes protein to maintain themselves, leaving less to make eggs (Biggs & Parsons, 2008). Many experts recommend switching to a higher-protein âbreederâ formula feed (around 18-20%âprotein).
Calcium is still essential for bone health,âdespite shell being produced less. Provide free-choice oyster shell or a calcium supplement toâkeep 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 goodâweight. Moist treats are particularly helpful ifâyour 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.,â2017). Shedâtheir environment to make life easier on creaky joints. Getâit 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 hensâ foot pads and keelâbones. Straw, wood chips and even recycled paper canâform a softer landing pad.
In addition, ensure that water and feed are readily available to a hen whoâmight not be able to walk far or climb high. In cold weather, older hens are more sensitive to chills so consider adding supplementalâheat sources, like heat plates or warming perches.
Health Maintenance
Geriatric hens have a higher prevalence of arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, and reproductive cancersâ(Rivera, 2020). Keep a close watch on your oldsters for early signs of pain orâlethargy. Atâleast once a year, if possible, get a veterinary checkup.
As with old humans, older hens may have decreased renal function, so be sureâyour 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 coopâis kept spotless and parasite-free. To help your hens stay healthy, use natural repellents like diatomaceous earth, woodâash, or herb sachets.
Seasonal Considerations
Extreme temperaturesâstrain an older henâs system. Inâsummer, offer more shade, breezes and cool water. You can always provide a misting fan or offer chilled treatsâsuch as watermelon or frozen berries on hot days.
In winter, ensure that your coopâmaintains adequate ventilation while avoiding drafts to prevent dampness and frostbite (Clauer, 2013). Lodge additional straw in protected spots so your older hens canâsnuggle 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 theirâgolden years. Adjust your approach to every individual bird's needs, and reachâout 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 nichesâin the social structure of the flock. Theyâre like the matriarchs keeping anâeye on their flock.
Olderâhens serve as sentinels in the wild, looking for predators while younger hens forage (Birklid, 2015). They also help teachâjuveniles the best places to dust bathe, scratch and find tasty morsels.
Even in a backyardâsituation, older hens are an important mentoring influence, showing the young whippersnappers the ropes of poultry life. They model good nesting behavior, mediate squabbles, andâmake hens whoâve just completed their first molt less self-conscious about their new âdo.
Though sometimes,âa less sprightly older hen can end up getting picked on by younger more active birds. Look forâsigns 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 ofâtime, or put her in with a more mellow group.
Tough Choices: When a Henâs Health Declines
As much as we hope our girlsâstay 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 girlâs quality of life.
Chickens are notoriously stoic animals, masking signs of pain and weaknessâuntil they can hide them no longer. If you observe a hen that is fluffed up, reluctant toâmove, or wonât eat or drink, itâs 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 painâmedications, special accommodations and TLC. But if a hen is afflicted with an incurable condition, such as advanced reproductive cancer or a painful,âdebilitation injury, euthanasia may be the most compassionate decision.
One of the most harrowing aspects of raising animals is coming to terms with the mortalityâof a creature youâve cared for from a little fluffball. Allow yourself to have space to mourn, and work to remember the good moments ofâyour time together. I still get misty thinking about my sweet Gingerâs last days, but I knowâI 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 urbanâactivity, 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 allowedâto 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 goesâway beyond their egg-laying years. âI could never cull my girls just because they are no longer laying,â according to long-time chickenâkeeper Jenna Thompson. "They're part of the family. Asâlong as they have quality of life, then they have a forever home with me.â
That in itself is a changing attitude toward chickens that mirrors a growing understanding that chickens arenât just livestock; theyâre also sentient beings with distinct personalities,âidiosyncrasies and pleasantries that endear them to the humans who keep them. Blood, sweat and tears on salmon fishingâgrounds, hemmed in by scaly flanks and clammy skinâ the brooding lard, reeking of shellvurchains on your fingertipsâ 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 accordingâto their own values, resources and emotional bandwidth. However, for many, the benefits of giving these feathered friends a loving retirement outweighâthe costs.
Readersâmay 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-livedâlife. At her best, she was aâhilarious 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 intoâsunlit patches and bask in languorous dirt baths.
As backyard hen keepers, weâexperience the full arch of our birdsâ 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 theâcycles of nature in action.
We connect to these special creatures soâmuch deeper now that we walk the henopause of life with kindness and compassion. It demands that weânot see them as mere units of production but as living, feeling human beings deserving of comfort and care until their last indrawn breath.
So hereâs to all the grizzled old matriarchs presidingâover 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 withâsuch 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.
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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.
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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/
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Burton, L. (1993). When to euthanize. Poultry Press, 36-37.
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Clauer, P. (2013). Winter care for chickens. Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/winter-care-for-chickens
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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.
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Jacob, J. (2015). Poultry as Pets. Small and Backyard Flocks. https://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sfn/f15poultrykids
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Johnson, A. L. (2000). Reproduction in the female. In Sturkie's avian physiology (pp. 569-596). Academic press.
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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
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Scanes, C. G. (2010). Sturkie's Avian Physiology. Elsevier Science & Technology.
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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.
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