# Rhode Island Red, dead after only a year



## 21601mom (Jan 15, 2013)

Hi all. Just spoke with my best friend who has two hens, both just over a year old. She collected one egg from the RIR hen this morning and she seemed fine. Her husband found the hen dead this afternoon. No marks, nothing unusual. Just laying on the ground stiff. Any ideas? My friend is very upset, she just loves her hens!


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

could be any number of things. Anything posted here would just be a guess. With animals shit happens and they die.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Yep. We've found chickens dead for no apparent reason as well. Then again we have one hen that has been with us for about 5 years. Heck a few years ago we got up to find one of the donkeys had died overnight. She was only about 5. A couple goats too. No outward sign of problems. But here again, we also had a quarter horse that lived to be 42 which is pretty much unheard of. Farm animals come and go. Just something you come to accept.


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## 21601mom (Jan 15, 2013)

Thanks for the replies.


There was a funny part to the story. My friend's husband (that found the hen dead) is a funeral director, as in licensed mortician. When he told my friend the hen was dead, she said "are you sure?" I didn't have the heart to remind her that his profession required the ability to know when something is dead.


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## MsSage (Mar 3, 2012)

Farm animals finding new ways to kill themselves since before Noah.
I had a couple ...15 pullets I was raising last year when they started disappearing...till I found 2 feet close to where my blue heeler was tied up when outside. I was looking outside just zoning when I saw the kelpie lean in the pen grab a chicken crush its neck and take it to the heeler...she did this 3 times, talk about teamwork LOL 
Sorry about the hen .


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## Roslyn (Feb 20, 2012)

RIR's these days, unless you specifically buy from a heritage line breeder are bred for fast growth and laying times. They burn out very quickly, similar to the hybrid production birds.

I probably won't get them again, my last ones started falling before they were two and I only have a couple left that are now 3 years old. There are other breeds that will lay a little less, but will live longer and give you eggs for a longer time vs lots of eggs for a shorter time. Raising peeps to lay is expensive.


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