How to determine the age of a chicken: signs and differences between an old bird and a young one, we recognize by appearance

Poultry farming is quite an interesting and profitable activity. Novice farmers seek to acquire an adult bird so as not to mess around 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 considering many features - the state of the beak, abdomen, paws. The parameters of egg production and the appearance of the eggs also matter.

Why determine age

Chickens live 10-15 years, but the ability to lay eggs lasts a maximum of 5 years. When purchasing a bird, this fact should be taken into account. Sellers often take advantage of buyers' inexperience 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. Under such conditions, it is difficult to fix the age of each of them. Keeping chickens that do not produce eggs is not economically viable.

Specialists 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 tell an old bird from a young one

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

Inspection and assessment of the behavior and temperament of birds.
Technological parameters. For laying hens, it is recommended to evaluate production 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 about 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, paws and other parts.

On the beak

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

On paws

When buying 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, 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 the paws. In this case, the presence of spurs matters. In young birds up to six months, they resemble small seals. After some time, the spurs grow and acquire a ossified structure. The rate of development of spurs is 1.5-2 centimeters per year.

On the scallop and earlobes

For young layers, rich shades of lobes and comb are characteristic. 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 palpation of the abdomen, it is worth noting its consistency. If this part of the body of the chicken is hard, this indicates that the bird is not young. In the first year of a bird's life, this cannot be.

Following plumage

Young hens have a bright shade of feathers. They fit well to the body. Between the feathers and under the wings is soft fluff. It has a delicate texture. Broken, protruding and ruffled feathers are considered a sign of old birds.

By weight

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

According to pigmentation

Chickens that have recently started laying are characterized by rich pigmentation. As performance increases, their hue becomes dull. The onset of pigment loss can be assessed by the blanching of the skin that surrounds the cloaca. Then the color on the paws disappears. The beak and iris gradually brighten.

When assessing the shade of some parts of the bird's body, it is worth focusing on its diet. When using flour from corn, alfalfa or pumpkin, a lot of pigment accumulates in the body. This can cause errors in age estimation.

In the eyes

Another informative event that allows you to evaluate 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

For young individuals, which are characterized by high productivity, high activity is characteristic. They are constantly moving in search of food, walking for a long time. These chickens constantly dig in the ground or bedding.

By physique

Young birds that lay well have a soft and light build. Their chest is characterized by a round shape. An even keel is also observed. It has a cartilaginous type. After some time, the chest and the tip of the keel become coarse. On palpation, it is worth assessing the distance from the keel to the surface of the bosom. Normally, this indicator in width should not be more than 3-4 fingers.

According to the molting period

Change of feathers in hens with good egg production belongs to the late type. It is observed over a short period of time. According to the cycles that take place 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 the age of the technological method

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

Laying egg monitoring

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 able to produce 300 eggs during this period. Gradually, egg production decreases, and by the age of 5-7 it completely disappears.

Breed is also important. To get eggs, you should choose only egg species of birds. The peak of oviposition is observed at 1-2 years. Then productivity decreases. Large egg farms usually do not keep such hens for more than a year.

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

Roosters are usually kept until the end of sexual activity. However, this is done no longer than 4 years. Then they are also allowed to eat 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, as they contain a large amount of vitamins and nutrients.

Determination of egg quality

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

For the eggs of a young chicken, a fairly strong shell is characteristic, which is difficult to break. The eggs of adult birds have a fragile shell that cracks easily.

Evaluation of the external parameters of the yolk

For the eggs of young chickens, a more saturated yolk is characteristic. It has a bright orange tint. Adult birds lay eggs with a pale yellow yolk. It is characterized by a light, desaturated shade.

When evaluating these parameters, it is worth focusing on the diet of birds. If chickens are fed a diet containing bright pigments, their yolk will become stained. This feature is often used by unscrupulous manufacturers.

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

How not to buy an old chicken?

Many inexperienced poultry farmers don't know how to tell the age of a chicken. To reduce the likelihood of buying older birds, some breeders recommend following these rules:

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

Advice from poultry farmers

Skilled poultry farmers advise to reject unproductive individuals all the time. They do not bring any benefit and require significant feed costs. In this case, you should definitely evaluate the appearance of the chicken. Juveniles may stop laying eggs for a while.

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

Suitable age for acquiring young chickens is 4-6 months. It is best to do this in the summer. Buying young birds is on special poultry farms. They record the exact time of hatching. In addition, this method allows you to correctly determine the breed. Also, poultry farms are vaccinated in a timely manner

It is possible to determine the age of a chicken according to various criteria. To get accurate results, it is worth considering the condition of the beak and paws, palpate the abdomen, evaluate the parameters of productivity and the appearance of the eggs.