Can I introduce a new chook?

[MelG75]

We have very sadly lost one of our hens. We have only been keeping chickens for around 12 months so still very new to chicken keeping and have had a very steep learning curve!
As I am a backyard keeper and don't have oodles of space we keep out flock small starting off with just 3, although we probably have the space for more we wanted the chooks that we have to be comfortable and have a good quality environment. As we have sadly lost one hen we are considering introducing a new bird although I have read many things that put me off as it sounds very difficult and could potentially be bad for the girls I already have or the new girl!
It's not something that we are going to rush into but would value any advice and experience stories to help us in a decision.
We don't know exactly what made my other hen sick so will be keeping an eye on the other two before making any introductions should we decide to go for it just to be sure there isn't anything wrong with my girls.
Thanks in advance for looking at my post and any advice you might have x

 

[Wyandottes7]

I'd think about getting two new chickens instead of just one. This will make it easier to introduce the new birds in with the old. Otherwise, the old ones may pick on the new bird exclusively; if there is more than one new bird, the introduction will go more smoothly because it won't just be one hen getting picked on.

When you get a new hen/hens, make sure to quarantine the newcomers for at least a week or two. The new hens can carry new diseases into your flock. After introducing the two groups of birds, watch the new ones closely, as they can pick up diseases from the old flock as well. In particular, you'd want to watch for signs of Coccidiosis, as a bird can become resistant to one strain, but succumb to a new strain if moved to a new place.