Chickens might be the most universal animals in the world. Whether you’re keeping your feathered friends in the backyard, enjoying them as part of a Kentucky fried banquet, or simply enjoying sharing the planet with an animal that has a breed with all-black bones, chickens are both useful and fun. But how long do they live for? Let’s find out.
Wild chickens
Most modern domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) evolved from the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) of Southeast Asia approximately 10,000 years ago. Red junglefowl are much smaller than the modern chickens we know today and have a typical lifespan of around 10-30 years, writes Animalia.
How long do chickens live as pets?
There is conflicting evidence about how long the average domestic chicken that is kept as a pet should live. The University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that backyard hens will live 6-8 years, while Purina Mills suggest that hens in a domestic setting will live between 8 and 10 years. The maximum length of the lifespan in captivity is thought to be 30 years, though between 15 and 20 years is thought to be a more conservative estimate for maximum age, according to AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database at Human Ageing Genetic Resources.
How long do farmed chickens live before slaughter?
According to Compassion In World Farming, broilers – which are chickens raised for meat – can be slaughtered before they reach the age of 6 weeks old. The Humane League suggests that this type of chicken is bred to grow quickly and possess large breast tissues. The Animal Aid website suggests that these chickens could have lifespans of around six years. All three of these organisations raise significant welfare issues surrounding raising chickens for consumption in this way.
World record holders
The first recipient of the World’s Oldest Chicken title was Matilda, a Red Pyle chicken who was part of an act for magician Keith Barton. After appearing on national television at 14, Matilda lived to be 16 years old. According to Guinness World Records, the oldest chicken ever was a Red Quilled Muffed American Game chicken called Muffy, who lived to the grand age of 23 years and 152 days and died in the USA in November 2011. Until recently, the oldest living bird in the world was a chicken called Peanut who passed away just a little shy of Muffy’s record at 21 and 238 days on Christmas Day 2023.
However, this means that if you’ve got an older chicken pecking away in your backyard, applications are now open.
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