Calamity struck - leaving a single hen, now what

[AdrianaG]

We had a mini-flock of 3, two hens and a rooster. They free ranged during the day and slept in their coop at night. Yesterday we came home to fi d Gladys dead in the front yard and Juanito the rooster has been missing ever since. That leaves Fitty (aka Fifty Shades of Gray) all by herself. Until now she was the odd hen out, Gladys was nasty to her.

We need to decide whether to let her be an “only chicken” or do we bring in a replacement or two. If so, what age replacements and how do we manage the introductions?

 

[azygous]

Do you have a source for baby chicks? That would be the best way to replenish your flock with the least amount of friction. Chickens will accept chicks before they will adult chickens.

The best way to integrate the new chicks would be to set up a brooder where Fitty lives. That way she can bond with the babies and may even show a willingness to brood them herself.

By the time the chicks are full grown, Fitty will consider them her flock.