From Susie Burlace
Glasgow Zoo’s website states that the laying life of a domestic chicken is
about 12 years. The website of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) cites a lifespan of 12 to 15 years, while most other sites give figures
between 5 and 8 years.
The oldest chicken I have met was 10 years old. She had stopped laying a
couple of years earlier and was going bald, but appeared otherwise in good
health. This kind of lifespan seems to be in line with other poultry, taking
into account relative size. I know of a turkey that was still alive at 14, a
duck that lived to 9 and another to 20.
London
