Friend for my friend

[Andrea3000]

I currently have one hen, who is a rescue. She is a Barred Rock. I think I want to get her a sister in the spring. Any suggestions on a good breed if I want to switch it up? I was thinking a bantam of some type as her coop is custom built for her, and could house one more chicken comfortably. I also don't want her to have territory issues, as that's why I ended up with her in the first place. (She was picked on severely.) I was hoping maybe a bantam breed would be easier for her to accept? She's very sweet, and loves my cats, so I don't anticipate problems, but I am a new chicken mom. I live in Illinois, so weather is very hot, very cold and everything in between. Currently Andrea has her coop and is out in my back yard daily for free range time. Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Aapomp831]

Any breed will do; just be aware they won’t get along at first.

 

[Andrea3000]

Any breed will do; just be aware they won’t get along at first.

Thank you! What kinds do you have?

 

[Aapomp831]

Thank you! What kinds do you have?

I have black sex links (simple hybrid breed, but my favorite), golden comets, a Rhode Island white, a white rock, a few Rhode Island reds and a bunch of white leghorns. I used to have bantams mixed in and they did just fine as well.

 

[AntiqueB]

That's nice of you to do that for her!

I have a Buff Orpington and an Easter Egger. They have been together since they were a day old, and still don't like each other. Beware chicken math -- in the spring, I will add 2 more in hopes they find friends.

 

[Andrea3000]

That's nice of you to do that for her!

I have a Buff Orpington and an Easter Egger. They have been together since they were a day old, and still don't like each other. Beware chicken math -- in the spring, I will add 2 more in hopes they find friends.

What is chicken math? I vaguely remember hearing somewhere to get them in odd numbers... if they don’t get along I don’t know what I would do. I suppose maybe I should hold off... :/

 

[Andrea3000]

That's nice of you to do that for her!

I have a Buff Orpington and an Easter Egger. They have been together since they were a day old, and still don't like each other. Beware chicken math -- in the spring, I will add 2 more in hopes they find friends.

Do yours fight? Like injure each other to where you have to keep them separated? Or just squawk at each other?

 

[AntiqueB]

They have the yard to range in; while small, there is a deck to go under, and a lot of places to hide, so they don't actively hurt each other, but they also tend not to stay together. Like dogs and other animals, they seem to get along with some and not others. Personality clash, perhaps.

I did have another who turned out to be a rooster. While he was here (until around 13 weeks old), they stayed in a group. He got along with both pullets, and was sort of the glue that held the group together. That's why I hope adding a couple more will make everyone happier.

Chicken math is the tendency to end up with way more chickens than you thought you ever would!

Maybe another girl of the same breed would work for your situation. Like with most creatures, chickens have personalities and favorite friends.

 

[MissMonty]

We ended up with a single chicken for a while thanks to someone dumping her. We finally got her a couple friends they're a wyandott and a easter egger. I've never kept chickens in pairs because usually a flock you have more room for natural behaviors and pecking orders. That way which ever ends up higher on the pecking order they're not just picking on the same bird all the time.

That's at least the logic I used to have a total of three through the winter. We are getting more in the spring tho.

Something to keep in mind also, many states have minimums for number of chicks you can get at a time. Usually its 6.

 

[AntiqueB]

Some have 3 as a minimum. It depends on where you live, where the hatchery is, and the season.

I would agree that 3 is a minimum number for a flock, though.