[gailtearle]

hi could anyone tel me the life expectancy of chickens and what age do they stop laying ?

[arugula]

You can easily expect between 4 and 8 years and some can live longer than that. They will continue to lay well into their lifespan, but the number of eggs will decrease. Our ISA Brown was still laying quite profusely past the age of 6.

[evie2]

Our first hens came from a friend who had a hen 10 years old, her very first one, and once in a blue moon she laid an egg 

[Lindeggs]

Depends on a lot of things including breed and strain.  A friend recently lost her wee bantam at the age of 15 years.  Hybrids are generally expected to have a shorter lifespan - in part because their huge number of eggs in early life takes a toll on their reproductiove system.  Heritage breeds are generally expected to live longer than hybrids.