Down to 2, get more or leave them be?

[NRacine]

We lost two of our four hens Friday to the heat. Poor girls They've been together for 4 years now, all raised from day olds at the same time. Now we are trying to decide if it would be best to let the two who are left live out their days together, or give them some buddies.

We tried once to add two chicks about two years ago just after they were fully feathered, it didn't go well so we gave them away.But now with just the two left, I wonder if it would be different.

We are kind of okay with having just the two. It was always more eggs than we could eat from four. But it looks so sad to have only two out there. We are in WI, so cold in winter might be an issue with only two bodies. I also wonder if more would be good for them socially, or if since they were always together if they will be okay as just a couple.

The other questions then if we do get more, is sooner better than later, and is older better than younger?

Any ideas or similar stories? Thanks in advance. We are still super sad about Chippy and Lucky and just not sure what to do next.

 

[devora]

So sorry that happened. Must be awful.

I'm always up for more birds! Everyone needs more buddies, right? Or is this just chicken math kicking in?

On a practical note, if you were to lose one (no!) then you'd have one bird. That, it seems to me, would not be OK.

Plus, you can get a breed you haven't tried yet.

More buddies!!

 

[bantamofopera]

I agree with the post above -- you don't want to be down to one chicken. As far as integrating babies and old birds, FWIW, we just found a home for our 4-year-old girls (who were still laying well, so I didn't want to send them to the freezer, but I didn't want to feed them through another winter and we already had a new batch of chicks who were starting to fly out of their brooder and scratch all over the barn). That left just one 9-year-old hen who is most certainly a pet. We assumed she didn't lay any more.... turns out she lays an egg every other day like clockwork!! Anyhow, we didn't want her to be lonely -- we have bantams who live in the other side of the coop (divided so they can have a covered run) but she needed buddies. We started letting the babies out with her -- free-range, supervised, in the yard (the babies were 6 1/2 weeks at the time). At first Henny Penny paid no attention to the little birds, but then she started coming over and scratching around with them. We saw no aggression on her part at all. a couple of little birds got in her face and she pecked them, they went away, all over. After two weeks of them being out for a couple of hours or more every day, we put them in the coop with her. No problems. In fact, after 2 nights with her they started coming in at dusk and getting up on the roost, just like her. So I think it was good for them. And she has not missed a beat with the egg laying, so I guess she doesn't mind. In other words, it depends on your hens. If you can free range them together for a while under supervision I think they will be fine as long as the older hens are not aggressive.