Can I add new hen to existing single older hen?

[PlatinumEggs]

Hello, got 2 young hens last August; always keep only 2 for few yrs then pass to friends w huge property so I get new hens and the old ones can age gracefully (!!!). These began laying in Oct, all ok thru winter in Switzerland; but now one of them is broody for second time in just a few months. First time I used cage system and I thought it worked pretty well to snap her out of it. But now she has restarted it again and I just put her back in the cage again. Since we’re 2 old ladies and I handle all myself, I wonder whether I could risk getting a young hen (giving up broody to my friends) and adding her to the single hen. It’s a fairly small set up. Is there risk of attack by older hen?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Any time you add a new bird you're risking conflict between them, as chickens are territorial. It could be the older hen attacking the younger, younger attacking the older, or they could be just fine. You won't know for sure because each bird has their own personality.

Also there's no guarantee that the newcomer wouldn't be just as prone to broodiness (or even more) than the bird you're replacing. Personally if the broodiness is the issue and you don't want her to brood, I'd just keep breaking her however many times it takes.

 

[Chicalina]

If you need the eggs from two hens constantly, then it's probably worth keeping 3 hens at a time to allow for any broodiness to not impose on your egg needs.

The look-dont-touch method of introducing new chickens is quite effective. Put new hen in a dog crate for a week or so placed where the two can walk around it and see her will help to integrate.