By Gail Damerow
MARINANOV/SHUTTERSTOCK; KEV GREGORY/SHUTTERSTOCK
Healthy hens can live 12 years or more, although they typically pass their prime by the age of 3 to 4 years. In the days when chickens were kept primarily for eggs and meat, hens were rarely kept past their prime years. Today, when many chickens become beloved backyard pets, their keepers are often unprepared for the transformations that occur as a hen ages. Here are seven changes to watch for in hens that live to a ripe old age.