How can you determine the age of a chicken, signs and differences between an old bird and a young one?

Poultry farming is quite an interesting and profitable activity. Beginning farmers strive to purchase an adult bird so as not to bother with chickens. In addition, such birds can produce eggs or go for meat. However, not everyone knows how to determine the age of a chicken. To do this, it is worth taking into account many features - the condition of the beak, belly, paws. Egg production parameters and the appearance of eggs also matter.

Why determine age

Chickens live 10-15 years, but the ability to lay eggs remains for a maximum of 5 years. When purchasing a bird, this fact should be taken into account. Sellers often take advantage of buyers' lack of experience by selling old birds instead of young ones..

The ability to estimate the age of a chicken is required when running a large farm and keeping many birds. In such conditions it is difficult to record the age of each of them. It is not economically feasible to keep chickens that do not produce eggs.

Experts recommend separating young birds from adults.

This will help ease the age determination process and eliminate the risk of conflicts. Adults often start chasing young ones, and fights for food are also possible.

How to distinguish an old bird from a young one

To assess the age of a chicken or rooster, you should focus on the following criteria:

1. Examination and assessment of bird behavior and temperament.
2. Technological parameters. For laying hens, it is recommended to evaluate productivity parameters at specific time intervals and determine the number of clutches.

By combining these methods, farmers can accurately determine the age of birds and make predictions regarding their productivity.

Determining the age of a chicken

To estimate the age of a chicken, it is recommended to focus on a number of features. In this case, it is worth considering the appearance of the beak, legs and other parts.

By the beak

The appearance of the beak is considered the main parameter that allows you to separate young chickens from adults. In individuals under one year old, it has a smoother structure and a bright yellow color.As the bird matures, the beak becomes gray and dull. Cracks and other damage appear on it.

By the paws

When purchasing laying hens, it is worth considering the condition of the legs. Juveniles have yellow skin. It is characterized by uniform coloring. As they grow older, the integument becomes dull and covered with cracks and roughness. In young birds, the scales fit well and are attractive.

The age of the rooster can also be estimated from its paws. In this case, the presence of spurs matters. In young birds up to six months old, they resemble small seals. After some time, the spurs grow and acquire an ossified structure. The development rate of spurs is 1.5-2 centimeters per year.

Along the comb and lobes

Young laying hens are characterized by rich shades of lobes and combs. They also have a higher temperature of these fragments. This is due to active blood circulation. It slows down with age.

On the stomach

When palpating the abdomen, it is worth noting its consistency. If this part of the chicken’s body is hard, this indicates that the bird is not young. This cannot happen in the first year of a bird’s life.

By plumage

Young hens have brightly colored feathers. They fit well to the body. There is soft down between the feathers and under the wings. It is characterized by a delicate texture. Broken, protruding and ruffled feathers are considered signs of old birds.

By weight

When assessing body weight, you should focus on the direction and breed of the bird. Individuals of the egg type are characterized by lower weight. At six months it is at the level of 1.5 kilograms.

By pigmentation

Chickens that have recently started laying eggs are characterized by rich pigmentation. As productivity increases, their shade becomes dull.The onset of pigment loss can be assessed by the paleness of the skin that surrounds the cloaca. Then the color on the paws disappears. The beak and iris gradually become lighter.

When assessing the shade of some parts of a bird’s body, you should focus on its diet. When eating corn, alfalfa or pumpkin flour, a lot of pigment accumulates in the body. This may cause errors in age estimation.

By the eyes

Another informative measure that allows you to assess the productivity of a laying hen is an eye examination. In young birds they are distinguished by a convex shape, have a clear color and shine. There is no cloudy film or foamy inclusions on the eyes.

By behavior

Young individuals that are highly productive are characterized by high activity. They move all the time in search of food and take long walks. Such chickens constantly dig in the ground or litter.

By physique

Young birds that lay eggs well have a soft and light structure. Their chest is characterized by a round shape. An even keel is also observed. It is distinguished by its cartilaginous type. After some time, the chest and the tip of the keel become coarser. During palpation, it is worth assessing the distance from the carina to the surface of the pubis. Normally, this indicator should not be more than 3-4 fingers wide.

By molting period

The change of feathers in chickens with good egg production belongs to the late type. It is observed over a short period of time. According to the cycles that occur in the body, the change of primary feathers is observed up to 6 months and before the onset of active laying.

How to correctly determine age using a technological method

There are special techniques that allow you to accurately determine the age category of a laying hen.

Monitoring the egg production of laying hens

The life expectancy of chickens reaches 12-14 years. However, their body is designed in such a way that they produce the maximum number of eggs only during the first year. Productive birds are capable of producing 300 eggs during this period. Egg production gradually decreases, and by 5-7 years it completely disappears.

The breed is also important. To get eggs, you should choose only egg-bearing bird species. Peak oviposition occurs at 1-2 years. Then productivity decreases. Large egg farms usually do not keep these chickens for more than a year.

In smaller farms and private use, chickens are kept for 2-3 years. This is due to the small number of birds and low needs. The number of eggs decreases by 15% every year. Then it happens much more intensely. If at 2-3 years a bird can be slaughtered, then at an older age its meat loses its taste.

Roosters are usually kept until sexual activity is complete. However, this is done no longer than 4 years. Then they are also used for meat.

It is worth considering that at an early age the eggs are small in size. They belong to grades C2 and C3. Such eggs are considered the most useful because they contain a large amount of vitamins and nutrients.

Determination of egg quality

Young chickens have fairly small eggs. Weight does not exceed 45 grams. They are valued for their taste and yolk size. The older the bird, the less its eggs contain useful elements.

The eggs of a young chicken are characterized by a fairly strong shell that is difficult to break. The eggs of adult birds have a fragile shell that easily becomes cracked.

Assessment of external parameters of the yolk

Eggs from young chickens have a richer yolk.It has a bright orange hue. Adult birds lay eggs with pale yellow yolks. It is characterized by a light, unsaturated shade.

When assessing these parameters, it is worth focusing on the diet of birds. If chickens are fed foods that contain bright pigments, their yolks will become colored. This feature is often taken advantage of by unscrupulous manufacturers.

It is also worth focusing on the size of the yolk. The younger the bird, the larger the egg yolk. Old hens lay eggs with a small yolk. In addition, it is characterized by a more liquid consistency.

How not to buy an old chicken?

Many inexperienced poultry farmers do not know how to find out the age of a chicken. To reduce the likelihood of purchasing older birds, some breeders recommend following these rules:

1. The risk of purchasing an adult laying hen decreases when the stock is renewed in the spring. To do this, it is worth checking the chickens in the fall and leaving the best representatives, which are highly productive, for the winter. In the spring you can buy young individuals.
2. To minimize the risk of purchasing an adult chicken, it is worth purchasing individuals from poultry farms. The specifics of production exclude the presence of birds older than 1-2 years.

Tips for poultry farmers

Qualified poultry farmers advise always culling unproductive individuals. They do not bring any benefit and require significant feed costs. At the same time, you should definitely evaluate the appearance of the chicken. Young individuals may stop laying eggs for some time.

In addition, to increase productivity, it is recommended to use succulent feed. In winter, it is worth increasing the length of daylight hours. For this purpose, artificial lighting is used.

The suitable age for purchasing young chickens is 4-6 months.It's best to do this in the summer. It is worth buying young birds from special poultry farms. They record the exact time the chicks hatch. In addition, this method allows you to correctly determine the breed. Vaccinations are also carried out on poultry farms in a timely manner..

The age of a chicken can be determined using various criteria. To get accurate results, it is worth taking into account the condition of the beak and paws, palpating the abdomen, assessing productivity parameters and the appearance of the eggs.