Unfortunately I went from 2 to 1 chickens yesterday as one of my lovely ladies suddenly passed away. The remaining one is obviously lonely but I don't know what to do next. I've read conflicting info about the best thing to do. I've read that I'm better to rehome this one and start afresh or introduce one into the coop at night. I'd struggle with that as I've only an eglu and it would be tricky to sneak one in. Any advice greatly appreciated.
If you wish to get another hen, there shouldn't be that much of a problem. They will squabble at first until one wins dominance over the other, but I doubt there will be any bloodshed. Bigger problems occur when there's a flock of chickens with a new arrival.
Just adding another bird might go swimmingly......or not. Best to be prepared to keep them separated if necessary, as it might take longer to integrate. Bio-security can be a concern too, always risky that new bird could bring something in that sickens existing bird, and/or visa versa. Not that that can/should stop you, but it's something to be aware of.
Absolutely. The first concern when thinking about introducing an adult chicken into your flock is where they came from. When you select a source, should you decide on an adult, you need to grill the flock owner on the flock health history. Ask what diseases they have encountered in their flock all the way back to the beginning. Some diseases are carried in otherwise healthy chickens who may never get sick from it, but can pass it on to other chickens. If they aren't sure, ask how many unexplained deaths have occurred in their flock over the years, and ask how they started their flock - chicks or adults? It shouldn't be a problem, once you've done the health research and quarantine, to introduce one hen to your current hen. The problems arise when the new hen has to deal with multiple relationships and the subsequent challenges. One on one is quite simple, therefore it won't require much time for them to agree on who's top hen. But as aart pointed out, you never can know when there's going to be a personality conflict. If that happens, you should know within a very short time after you introduce them to each other. Usually, the home chicken pecks the newcomer on the head, which lets her know she's going to need to fall into line behind her, and it's over with. I wrote about a recent addition to my flock and how it went, and what I did to try to make it succeed. It's the third link below this post.
Thanks so much for replying. I think I'm going to have to definitely get another hen at the weekend because it's so sad to see my existing lady looking so lonely and looking for her pal.
I'm in this spot now, too. One of my two girls died today. I looked outside and she was just gone--conked out and stiff. I'm bummed about this, and I know single chickens don't do well. I'm not sure where to start my search for another hen.
