Hen died unexpectedly…. The other hen is lost without her.

[mtpclucktown]

Hi,

Me and my husband are new to backyard chickens and so far we LOVE it, but we met our first challenge today. We had 2 beautiful polish bantams that flocked together, they never left each others side. We found one of them dead this morning in the coop, I'm not sure what the cause of death is, she looks unharmed. Now the other hen will not leave the coop to range, and has been sitting in the same place. The hen that died was the leader and I'm not sure she knows what to do without her buddy. Is it possible to introduce a hen into the coop that could bond with her? If so, how have you done it? Should it be the same breed and age? We have 4 other chickens but they pick at the bantam and leave her behind so she is all alone … any help would be appreciated.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It's always sad to lose one, and particularly since the polish hen is all alone now. I have one polish left from two that grew up with my others, and they can be picked on, but I would try again to integrate her back into the flock. If you have a dog crate or can make one out of wood and wire cloth, I would place her with the other chickens every day for a couple of weeks. Then, when you have a day off, I would let them together and watch them work out the pecking order. She may be pecked, but she may be a lot happier once it works out.