Lonely hen

[Nancyjacobi]

I had two welsummers - one hen and one rooster. They have been together for 2 1/2 years and have been inseparable since birth. Somehow they both got out of the run last Friday and the rooster is nowhere to be found. My hen, Daisy, calls for him and it is so sad! She seems lonely and almost depressed. I am worried that she will begin to decline and want to get her company asap. What should I do?

 

[chooks4life]

Greetings and

Your concern is very valid, they can get depressed and lonely to the point of suffering suppressed immune function and dying of things that would normally never harm them.

I would get a young pullet possibly, just one; if your hen is the only available companion around, it will likely bond to her, whereas if you get two they'll probably form their own group away from your hen.

A pullet under point of lay is likely best, as a pullet around point of lay is often starting to push her social boundaries and try to raise her status in the flock and the last thing you hen needs is a strange new chicken that bullies her. I wouldn't get a little chick, but one that's a few weeks or a month off expected point of lay.

I suspect that your rooster, if he doesn't show up soon, is probably dead --- that is, if he wasn't stolen; sounds weird perhaps but chicken thefts, even of mutts that are of no real value, are epidemic and only on the increase.

Best wishes.

 

[Mrs. K]

Get some point of lay hens. Call the county extension agent for some poultry clubs. Or ask at the feed store for some other people who have chickens. If you can't get point of lay hens, you could get older nearly spent hens, but you already have a hen with age on her, and it would be better to have younger birds, but it would be better to have a flock than a single hen.

Now chickens are flock birds, and do get lonely, but they are territorial, and hate strangers. So even though she is lonely, she might not be real friendly to strangers. Personally if I could I would try to get 2 point of lay hens. Your original bird will have the home court advantage, and the two new ones will have a buddy to share the pecking. They can be slightly smaller than the mature hen, but not much.

Do not get chicks, as in you are nearly 4-5 months before creating a flock, and if you add chicks directly to a non-broody hen, there is a good chance she will kill them.

With one bird, I would not worry about quarantine to much, to me it is more important to establish the flock, and in most backyards, quarantine is difficult to impossible to do, and if you don't do it correctly, you may as well not do it. Get birds that look healthy, and generally they are.

Mrs K

 

[Nancyjacobi]

I found a man on Craig's list who has 3 pullets he is selling. He had to buy 6 bit only needs 3. What are your thoughts on these? He says they are all female. How do I introduce her to new hens?

 

[Nancyjacobi]

We do suspect theft because there were no feathers anywhere to show a struggle. The coop gate was wide open and it is usually opened only when I go in. He was a beautiful Welsummer rooster and highly protective of my girl. She was happily grazing near the coop and he was nowhere to be seen. She was not exhibiting any signs of stress and went back into the coop just fine. Why in the world would someone steal my Charlie? That is just stupid. Chickens are not that expensive. Think I'm going to get a lock!

If I got three pullets do you think they would shut my daisy out?

 

[Mrs. K]

I would take them, but I really don't like a single hen. Do you have enough room for 4 head?

In the beginning, there is going to be segregation, and there might be a bit of fighting, but most of the time it is very short lived, and they settle down into a new flock. It can look rather awful for a few minutes, but unless there is a serious life threatening blood all over do not interfere, cause then they have to start all over, when you try it the second time. Slip them in there at dark, have the hide outs set up as described below, and check them in the morning.

Do make sure that your run has a hide out or two, an extra roost in the run, so that birds can get out of sight of each other, just lean a pallet up against the wall, or place it up on blocks high enough so birds can get under it and on top of it.

But yes, I would take the three, as long as they look healthy. Can it be a wreck, yes it can, but so can just having one bird.

Mrs K

 

[chooks4life]

I found a man on Craig's list who has 3 pullets he is selling. He had to buy 6 bit only needs 3. What are your thoughts on these? He says they are all female. How do I introduce her to new hens?

Mrs. K has covered some of the basics there, such as obstacles and hiding places and not interfering unless necessary, as it makes it worse.

Generally, for first introductions, you should keep them in a separate coop (rabbit hutch, run, whatever) for a week or so in full sight of your hen, if necessary put treats beside and in the cage so (with a wall between them) they do some communal feeding and spend time in one anothers' presences (if she tends to free range elsewhere and ignores them).

The more they interact vocally and with body language with the safety of a mesh barrier between them, the more likely their eventual introduction is to be peaceful or at least nowhere near as destructive as just instantly combining them can be. They can sort out who's alpha and who's not without direct conflict if they're just given a chance to eye off the competition first. But chances are at least one of them, the alpha, will fight your hen to start with.

Of course they may be --- quite possibly are --- carrying diseases and perhaps parasites that your hen has never been exposed to before, or maybe newer and different strains of the same diseases. So quarantine may be useful, and worming or whatever, prior to introduction. They can and often do look healthy despite carrying diseases and parasites though.

I'd think if a predator took your rooster she'd be quite distressed, it kind of does sound like a theft. I've had complete mutts stolen, nobody could have mistaken them for purebreds. It's happened to many people. I'm not sure of all the many potential reasons why anyone would do that, it is indeed baffling.

Best wishes.