Lonely bantam Whats best??

[Sarahj21]

Just over a week ago we lost our last RIR ( old age ), we are left with just 1 pekin bantam. I have been told not to put anything but bantams with her now (she is coming up 4 yrs ) i have found some bantams that i like the look of, but im not sure how to go about adding them :/ She stopped laying 2 days before the RIR died and is now pulling feathers ( is she lonely? or bored ? ) I really don't want to get it wrong and her get hurt or her hurt the new hens.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If you put her with a "group" she will always be an outsider. If you put her with one other chicken, they will become friends hopefully (chickens are individuals so you never know). Then if you put the two of them with a "group" they will have each other to lean on. So I would give her one friend- make sure disease/lice/mite-free (to start)!

If you want to buy all those chickens you saw, you can put her with one other chicken inside a dog crate or pen for a couple of weeks and hopefully they will make friends. Just a thought.

I don't know why she is pulling feathers...maybe stress I am guessing? She is probably terribly lonely. She will be happier with a buddy- you are quite right.

I have had bantams in with large fowl - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't depending on their personalities. Right now I have my bantam silkies in with two RIR hens, all raised together- which makes a HUGE difference.

 

[Sarahj21]

Do i go for a young hen or one more her age? The ones ive seen are about 11 weeks.
Ive had her in for cuddles with the kids and when i go out for a fag i go down to talk to her ( hubby and neighbours think im mad )
How do i go about adding another one?
Thanks

 

[Sarahj21]

Sorry didn't read the whole of your post first time think im tired lol

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Do i go for a young hen or one more her age? The ones ive seen are about 11 weeks.
Ive had her in for cuddles with the kids and when i go out for a fag i go down to talk to her ( hubby and neighbours think im mad )
How do i go about adding another one?
Thanks

Well 16 weeks is the best time to integrate young chickens with older ones but depending on the personalities of the older hens, you can get away with it earlier. So you have to observe them for a couple of hours to make sure that it doesn't look like someone is going to be pecked to death. If that happens, take the young one out.

You have to decide whether you are going to quarantine the new hen(s). Quarantine is recommended for one month and even then there are diseases that can pass quarantine and still make other chickens ill. (Also I have to say, dust for mites/lice and repeat every 7 days times two!) Personally I would not quarantine for just one hen left in a flock but that is me and there are terrible diseases that can contaminate the coop/land so it is best to quarantine ideally.

It goes best if chickens can get used to one another through a fence first. However if you only have one chicken and it is lonely, personally I'd just put the new chicken in there and give treats to give them something to do, then sit back and observe them.

So especially with a cochin (pekin) bantam, since they are pretty laid back, I personally wouldn't have any qualms about putting an 11 week old in with her, but I'd watch closely, is all.

 

[Sarahj21]

Thanks,
Im off to look at some 4 month old ones today, so fingers crossed it all goes well