Adding to my flock

[TheRoyals]

I had a chicken pass away today, now i have just 1.what is the best way forward. I dont want her to be lonely. should i get 1 more, 2 more..?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

So sorry for your loss.
I would suggest adding at least two birds - this will decrease the chance of ending up with just one bird again should something happen to any of the birds. How old is the chicken you have left? You'll want to get new birds of an appropriate age/size - this will help avoid, for example, having to wait for the new birds to be old/large enough to mix with your existing bird if you were to start with day-old hatchlings and your current bird is a mature hen.
There is some concern regarding introducing new birds and the possibility of infecting your one hen with any illness the new birds may be carrying with them. It is recommended to quarantine new birds for a period of 30 days to assure they don't develop symptoms of a previously unnoticed illness that, if put straight in with your existing flock, would have had the chance to spread before you even knew it was there. Not everyone practices this approach, so that is up to you to decide whether you want to go straight to integration or use quarantine. It's a personal judgment call we each must make for ourselves.

 

[LeiaLayers5]

I had a chicken pass away today, now i have just 1.what is the best way forward. I dont want her to be lonely. should i get 1 more, 2 more..?

I cannot say for certain, and I am sorry to hear of your loss, but I think i read somewhere that its easier to add 2 to a flock then just one, but I am not sure if that depends on how many you have to start with. I would say 2 is usually better than one and if for any reason something happens in the future there are still 2 left to be company for one another. How big is your coop because that makes a difference. I would have trouble just adding one, its too easy to get carried away. Good Luck! Were you considering any particular breeds?

 

[TheRoyals]

I am considering adding 2 red sex links (already have 1) she is 2 years old. the coop is a 4 bird coop and they have free range of the garden also.

 

[LeiaLayers5]

I am considering adding 2 red sex links (already have 1) she is 2 years old. the coop is a 4 bird coop and they have free range of the garden also.

I am told GCs are a form of those. We have 3 of them and we enjoy them. That sounds like a good choice. It should make the integration alot easier if they are alike. I know in the other posts above that it was mentioned the size because of age will affect it as well. Were you going to get them as chicks or get older hens? I would think older would be easier to deal with in this situation maybe. In any case I think you are headed in the right direction!

 

[TheRoyals]

Going to get point of lay hens.