How old is a fully grown chicken

In the mid to late s, man got the idea that collecting chickens and using them as a way to fulfill some needs was a pretty good one and thus their lives were irrevocably altered. By interacting with humans, many of their wild behaviors were suppressed, productivity was increased and chickens became one of our most popular food sources. However, this interaction has also led to the development of two different types of birds: Heritage and Hybrid chickens.

Heritage hens have been raised and bred naturally with their own kind and as such they enjoy a longer lifespan by average, being expected to live for up to 8 years. To the American Poultry Association, a heritage bird will mate naturally, have a slow growth rate and a longer outdoor life, come from pure stock and also meet their breed standards.

So if you are looking for a chicken that grows at a slower, more natural pace, this is what you should focus on. Hybrids, on the other hand, are the ones who have been manipulated by mankind to increase their productiveness.

Their laying cycle is basically over after the second year since they were created specifically for the egg laying industry that got its start during the s. Hybrid hens are looked at as a way to maximize production and get a little meat after their cycle is over by sending them to the slaughterhouse.

Because of the increased rate of egg-making, hybrids are also much more likely to die from causes such as reproductive tumors or egg yolk peritonitis.

Nowadays, diseases of poultry are much better understood and as such the caretakers can do a lot of preventive things in order to keep the hens healthy. We know that parasites such as mites, lice, and worms are all things that can severely disrupt the health of our flock. Mites will suck blood potentially causing anemia, lice can cause skin irritation and worms can even kill a hen.

Preventive actions can be taken against this kind of events such as dusting and worming. Even if your time will not allow you to do a close inspection of your flock on a weekly basis, it is recommended that you do regular dustings to fight against infestations. When it comes to housing chickens, things have certainly come a long way since the old days when they would be put together with the other animals and would have to make their living from whatever space was available to them.

Freezing to death or being trampled and hurt by bigger animals was something very common back then. These days, however, the chickens are sheltered from the weather and the predators by specially-built coops that are designed to keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Free from drafts, warm, dry, and safe, their life expectancy has also improved so housing is a big factor in the years a domestic chicken is expected to live. August 12, at pm. August 13, at am. August 17, at pm. I would love to know more about the feed and I have something that is eating my eggs how do I go about this.

August 18, at am. August 2, at am. I appreciate all the information and explanation your website has provided. Planning to raise my own brood of chickens for the eggs and meat.

So, when do chickens stop growing? The average breed of chicken stops growing by 1 year of age. It must be noted that there are hundreds of breeds of chicken in existence. Their color, comb type, amount of feathering, and size are all such characteristics that can differ, among others. When it comes to keeping chickens however, there are general recommendations of what breeds to keep.

As such, we can soon begin to collect a sufficiently large, while not excessive, sample size and work out averages on how big they will likely get and when by. So, let us know take a closer look at the development of a chicken, before we turn to their expected size.

We will also be looking at some of those other important questions such as how much room your chickens will need. Let us now take a closer look at each phase so we can get an understanding of the growth of a chicken:.

Our guide will show you how. How big a chicken will get will depend mostly on the breed. Besides, if you are looking to keep chickens, how big they get will have an impact on the size of the coop you get, along with what breeds are best for the space you have available. Let us now take a closer look at some of the most commonly kept chicken breeds and their average and size categories:.

When it comes to selecting a chicken breed; size should not be the only factor that you take into account. You also need to consider the individual personalities and temperaments of each breed, and more importantly, how they will all get along together if you are keeping multiple breeds together. Flocks will naturally operate via a pecking order; a hierarchy of power where each chicken will know their place. Chickens generally reach their full adult weight and size at around 1 year of age.

Although this does vary somewhat by breed. They should also be sturdy and smooth. Any raised scales should be checked over as this is not normal for a young bird. Vent The vent of a pullet who has not started laying will be rounded, small, dry and pale. She may go around checking out the nesting boxes and other darkened areas that would be suitable to lay her first egg. She may pick up bits of straw and bedding and place them on her back. If she has been able to watch older hens laying she will likely go automatically to a nesting box but this is not always so.

You may find eggs in unusual places under bushes, in buckets etc so make sure there are enough nesting boxes for her to have one. The first eggs may be small until her egg machinery gets into gear.

Once she has the hang of it she will be more settled in her behaviors. Young roosters can be a nuisance at this point. They may challenge the head rooster on a daily basis. They may chase down the hens to mate and can cause some nasty wounds. This is the time to put them into bachelor quarters to prevent your hens getting injuried. Plumage Somewhere between months your hen will experience her first full molt. This is when all her old and tatty feathers start to fall out and get replaced by new shiny feathers.

These new feathers will help to keep her warm through the cold nights ahead, keep her dry and insulated and make her look more attractive to the rooster during mating season. Body Size By the end of their first year you can expect your chickens to have reach their full weight.

Your pullet will have changed from a slender chicken into a more homely and cuddly hen. Her shape will be more rounded and softer. Combs and Wattles The combs and wattles of older chickens appear plumper than those of the pullets.

When the molt starts the color of the comb and wattle will have faded to a washed out red or pink color. The vibrancy will not return until she is ready to lay eggs and mate again perhaps a few months in the future. Legs At the start of their first molt you will notice that the color of their legs has faded to a pale beige color. This has happened over the laying period as the coloring in the legs helps to keep the yolks orange. The pigment in their legs will be replaced ready for the next season of laying.

You may notice some scales lifting slightly — do not pull these off! You should however check that they do not have scaly mites on her legs. Read read our guide on chicken mites to learn more. The claws of older hens also tend to get longer as they are not so active — you may need to trim them occasionally. Your older ladies can also suffer from arthritis and they will walk with a stiff leg and perhaps limp occasionally. You can help by placing perches lower or providing a ramp up to their usual perch at night.

Vent The vent should now be well rounded, moist and pink. During the molt the pinkness will fade and secretions dry up until the next laying cycle. The following video shows you how to check the width between the pelvic bones and the width between the keel and the vent. These two measurements are important as they will help you to determine which hens are laying and which are not.

After this his interest in mating diminishes as does his sperm count. At this point he may be challenged by a younger rooster and dethroned. Behavior The hens will be calmer now because they will have adjusted to the hormonal changes in their body and found their place in the pecking order. The head rooster is ever alert and watchful — he takes his job very seriously.

Secondary roosters in the flock will be subservient to him and they will not be allowed to crow before him. Their first feathers start to come in when they are seven days old. Once they are four weeks old they should have a complete set of feathers. Chickens are considered to be fully grown once they reach one year old, although some breeds will continue to grow and develop a bit more after this.

Some hybrids will only lay for a couple of years before they will stop laying. However heritage breeds will lay for a bit longer — often into their fourth year before they stop completely.