I'm looking for advice on how to proceed with expanding my flock.

[AmyRey]

Greetings.

I have another thread on the emergencies page with more insight if you're interested. If not, I'll just give you the cliffnotes version.

We free ranged, without problem until a feral dog attack left us with just one badly injured hen. By all appearances, she is going to make a full recovery.

In the future, we will be confining our flock unless we can supervise their ranging. However, it will be several more weeks until we can get this run completed.

Until then, I've got one really sweet chicken penned up in a wire dog kennel in the garage.

I am concerned about her mental health (rolling eyes at self) and the possibility that her loneliness might affect her physical health.

What is the best way to proceed? Will she be okay by herself in this cage for a few more weeks?

And when we do get this enclosure completed, how should I go about adding to the flock? I think I would prefer chicks, but they won't be able to socialize with her for several more weeks, leaving her isolated that much longer.

Should I get one adult bird ASAP, adding chicks too, as they're ready?

Would it be better on her for me to rehome her now?

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Just spend lots of time with her...and no, don't get another adult bird to put in with her right away...you never know what they could be carrying. You always want to quarantine new birds for at least 30 days, and even then there's no guarantee they aren't carrying something that could make your girl sick, or even kill her...

 

[AmyRey]

Oh and... how do I handle the egg issue while she is confined?

She's not laying now, I suppose due to the injury. And she really wasn't laying much before, presumably because of the time of year.

I don't think her enclosure is big enough for any sort of nesting area.

*stumped*

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

I doubt that she'll lay for a while now, usually they won't after any trauma or injury, but if she feels the need to, she doesn't HAVE to have a nesting area, she'll lay wherever.

 

[AmyRey]

Cool. Thank you!