I also rise hens for laying and we have a rooster too. One of my hens is laying eggs for 10 - 12 days, after that it starts to brood. And even if we take away all the eggs, it is still sitting in the nest for 3 weeks. Unfortunately the lady from which I bought that chicken did not know what breed it exactly was, but she told it was some kind of Australian hens (it has "curly" feather). And that "curly" hen is alrerady 6 years old! My grandmother told me that it is normal for hens to live 10 and more years, but it is only when you do not give them any supplements to increase laying, and if they are free range hens.

There are also natural toothpastes, for myself I prefer Weleda.