Hen Solo (all jokes aside, question about a solo hen.)

[Cristyloks]

I always put mine out during the day and than back to the brooder at night during the start of integration. I use a 5 gallon bucket to transport them. Suctioning off the run and doing this will get the process of integration going while you finish your changes.

This might be what we do for a time! Of course after I posted my last update we had two big rat snakes working their way into our (obviously not secure) run this evening. New run is all hardware cloth and will be very secure. We have a section of it up, but need to get the rest up and a roof over top yet. Hopefully we can get the one section complete enough to work for a time while we work on the rest. It's always something!! We live in an area with tons of predators (on the edge of the woods with a lake just beyond.) The coop and a very small run that is attached to it are secure, but it's just not big enough for more than a couple chickens at a time so this has needed done!!

 

[Jsnick]

I’ve had a similar situation and now have one hen and 3 pullers around 9 weeks old. I e been letting my one hen see the others since they were 3-4 weeks outside of her run. At 7-8 weeks they were in run but sectioned off so they were closer.
This week I opened an area for young ones to come out as they wish. The one hen can’t get in. I also free range them. There has been pecking their backs or she chases them. The younger ones don’t even bother her.
It’s a process, I’m praying she stops ! I have a raised coop and not big enough for a crate for them to sleep with her. Run is big enough plenty of roosts and hiding areas.
Could it be she was alone for couple months? Was waiting for babies to come and be warm enough outside.

 

[Yakisugi Coop]

Did you quarantine the young hen? If not, is it possible the original hen died of something the new hen brought in? I’d worry about the chicks potentially being exposed to that too.

 

[Cristyloks]

Did you quarantine the young hen? If not, is it possible the original hen died of something the new hen brought in? I’d worry about the chicks potentially being exposed to that too.

Sorry I haven't kept up with this thread very well!! My hen that passed was already showing signs of something going on before I introduced the new hen (less appetite and energy, occasional lethargy and hadn't resumed egg laying in the spring.) I didn't officially quarantine the young hen, but they also were kept pretty separately for the first couple weeks just due to trying to figure out where to put everybody. They never fully shared spaces (though I suppose, were close enough if something airborne had been an issue, she could have caught it.) My older hen likely had reproductive issues. We don't have an avian vet but worked closely with a vet who at last tries when possible with our chickens and the hen was on antibiotics for lash eggs and just went downhill from there into crop issues, GI issues, etc. We've now had the younger hen for about 6 weeks and haven't started introducing chicks yet (they are just now 8 weeks) due to our attempts to renovate the coop and run. Hoping to get them out there in the next couple weeks but endless rain has created a struggle with getting things done!

 

[Cristyloks]

I’ve had a similar situation and now have one hen and 3 pullers around 9 weeks old. I e been letting my one hen see the others since they were 3-4 weeks outside of her run. At 7-8 weeks they were in run but sectioned off so they were closer.
This week I opened an area for young ones to come out as they wish. The one hen can’t get in. I also free range them. There has been pecking their backs or she chases them. The younger ones don’t even bother her.
It’s a process, I’m praying she stops ! I have a raised coop and not big enough for a crate for them to sleep with her. Run is big enough plenty of roosts and hiding areas.
Could it be she was alone for couple months? Was waiting for babies to come and be warm enough outside.

I'm sorry it's been a struggle! I feel like we're probably going to encounter some of the same issues and I'm trying to be sure our renovated coop and run have plenty of room to section everyone off for a while because I'm sure it'll take some time. I did read elsewhere that a lot of times, the chicks aren't fully accepted until they reach laying age. I don't have experience with introducing chicks so I'm interested to see if that's true. I've only had to deal with re-introducing hens after they've been isolated for health issues and even that was quite the process!! Can't they all just get along?! In my head I keep thinking our solo hen will be glad for the company but she also has increased anxiety (understandable) since being alone and I worry that could cause a difficult transition! I hope you're able to get everyone together happily soon!!

 

[Es_In_Miami]

Yeah currently she can't as they're in my basement (had one chicken outdoors, one in the garage isolated for a week and chicks in our basement currently... It's been wild lol.)

We're in a predicament of sorts with the updates we're making to the coop and run. Only one coop, so no way to separate chicks from chicken at night and run is not secure enough at this time to leave chicks in there overnight.

One possibility would be to put everyone in the garage separated until coop changes are complete but it doesn't seem ideal for everyone, unless you think proximity to the chicks could trump being outdoors for our young hen right now?

This has all been a journey this past month with literally nothing going to plan. I feel like I'm playing musical chickens!!

It's not ideal, you could put the hen in a large kennel in your basement next to the chicks. Be sure she has a good light source during the day. You can minimize the mess by using landscape fabric or some form of fabric to create a net around the side of the kennel. Otherwise, you'll have bedding everywhere. Again, not ideal, but it will give the birds time to get to know each other and you get an opportunity to secure your coop and run and make the updates you want to make.

 

[Cristyloks]

It's not ideal, you could put the hen in a large kennel in your basement next to the chicks. Be sure she has a good light source during the day. You can minimize the mess by using landscape fabric or some form of fabric to create a net around the side of the kennel. Otherwise, you'll have bedding everywhere. Again, not ideal, but it will give the birds time to get to know each other and you get an opportunity to secure your coop and run and make the updates you want to make.

This actually isn't a terrible idea at all! Right now space is limited in the basement but if I could rearrange some things, it might be what we do as we get things finished outdoors (there will be times when it's easier to have no chickens out there and they could spend some time like this when that happens.)

 

[Jsnick]

I'm sorry it's been a struggle! I feel like we're probably going to encounter some of the same issues and I'm trying to be sure our renovated coop and run have plenty of room to section everyone off for a while because I'm sure it'll take some time. I did read elsewhere that a lot of times, the chicks aren't fully accepted until they reach laying age. I don't have experience with introducing chicks so I'm interested to see if that's true. I've only had to deal with re-introducing hens after they've been isolated for health issues and even that was quite the process!! Can't they all just get along?! In my head I keep thinking our solo hen will be glad for the company but she also has increased anxiety (understandable) since being alone and I worry that could cause a difficult transition! I hope you're able to get everyone together happily soon!!

Uh, I would think she'd love some friends to hang with. LOL! They are doing ok. She does still chase from time to time and give a small peck. The younger ones went into coop to sleep one night, and she left them alone for a couple nights. One morning she was chasing, so I changed door to open a lot sooner. I heard it takes time and I'm hoping the younger ones get some confidence to stand up for themselves.

Maybe you could put your hen next to them while you finish your coop. This way she see's them more.