Can we replace a hen?

[French Chicks]

Hi all,

i am new here and very happy to meet you all. We are a family living in France with three lovely layers. well, two should i say, since Henrietta sadly died today.

Is it ok for us to replace her? I have read that chickens dont always take well to a newcomer in their gang?
Having three layers was just perfect for us. We have two young boys who love eating cakes, pancakes, boiled eggs etc etc etc and I am not sure that two layers will be able to keep up with them and it would seem a bit wrong to have chickens in the garden and to still buy eggs at the shop..

Since we only have two girls would it be ok for me to sneak a new little lady in there?

Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

 

[NovaAman]

Hi, and welcome to BYC.

Sorry you lost a hen. If you plan to replace her, it is always best to bring 2 in. Only one new on will be hard on the new one since the original 2 are more likely to gang up. Not saying that it can't happen, bringing in a new hen, and them all getting on... I have done it, introduced just one, but, I introduced her to the laid back silkies first. She hung with them for several weeks, and then I let integrate with the other. It worked out well for me, but I also had the facilities to do it. You could put her in protected area with the other hens being able to see her, but not touch her for a week or so, put her in a cat/dog carrier in the coop with the other girls so they get used to her being there. Anyway, good luck!

 

[maizy'smom]

Bon jour! We have recently had to do the very same thing. Our SLW with the crossed beak, just died three weeks ago today. She was one of four girls, all the same age. They turned one on May 1st. We get our layer feed from a local family who happened to be down-sizing their flock, so we got one new girlie to replace Sylvie. It has now been one week today since Violet joined our group and things are going mostly well..... That said, Violet is still sleeping on the water cooler, since the other three won't let her on the roost bar. But she started out laying on the run floor, then upstairs on the coop floor, and ultimately in the nest box, just like the other girls. And, just to stake her claim while she can, she puts herself to bed---ON the roost bar at about 6:30pm---since the other three don't go to bed until the sun is officially down (about 8:00pm), she gets to have the roost bar all to herself for at least a while. There are still a few tense moments throughout the day, but Violet is very good about not being where she isn't wanted. I have heard that it takes a good few weeks to make the adjustment. So, we are one down, a couple more to go. I think one good thing is that Violet is the same age as the other girls. Our coop really can only handle four full sized girls, or I would have gotten two birds together to make the transition smoother. But what can you do? Hope your choice goes smoothly. We'll keep a good thought for you! Salut!

mm