Lonely Hen

[Dlbacon]

Hi everybody,
I unfortunately have lost five chickens over the past few months and it has left one hen by herself. I had planned on getting 4 more in the spring. This last hen was at least with one of her hen friends and they kept each other company but now I only have the one. Two questions: is it OK for her to be by herself for a month or more? And secondly what age chickens do you think I should get to introduce to this flock of one? Mature laying hens or pulleys? Chicks? Does this make it easier to introduce new ones to the “flock”? I know that sometimes it can be challenging to get the hands to all get along but in this case I only have the one. Thank you for any help…

 

[aart]

How did you 'lose' the chickens?
Chicks from a good source are safer, won't bring in pests or disease.
But they are a bit more work....depending on your coop and run.
Knowing about your coop and run, dimensions and pics, might garner some suggestions.

Oh, and Welcome to BYC @Dlbacon sorry for your losses.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Dlbacon]

Hi, thanks for responding. I live in Holden Massachusetts. We have had the chickens… The same six chickens, for five years. They have a henhouse and a completely enclosed run. We even have chicken wire on top… Over the summer we lost four chickens, two at a time over one week. To a fox. The fox was complete mange from head to toe… The first time, we had left them outside in the yard and right in front of us the fox ran through killed one and grabbed another. We were shocked. We chased him but to no avail. The second time… He somehow managed to slip into the coop… We still can’t figure out how. He killed two at that time. We did manage to shoot him… It was the same one… No fur at all. I didn’t feel too bad about it because number one he ate my chickens and number two without fur I didn’t think that he would make it through the winter anyway.… This time we only had the two chickens left. At night time we noticed activity around the coop area and have gone out several times to find raccoons messing with the coop. We managed to chase them away and we didn’t hear from them for a while. Last night a big one crawled on top and the chicken wire gave way and he fell into the coop. We heard the commotion, ran outside and managed Give him a couple of BBs in the butt but the damage was done. Now I only have the one chicken left and I am beside myself. I’ve searched on craigslist and cannot find any chickens in the area right now that people are either selling or giving away. We are going into the spring and I know that Agway will eventually have some that we can purchase… They will be chicks. I cannot really have rooster so buying chicks is notIdea. What I’m looking for I think our young laying hens that are possibly younger, by far actually than the one that I have left. Perhaps they will get along better initially. Maybe my surviving and will just want to company and won’t want to mess with any newcomers. But right now I just have her and I expect that she is traumatized and lonely. I feel like bringing her into the house! But I know that she will poop everywhere. We obviously have some work to do on the coop as well. We can’t lock her in her henhouse at night until we firm up the coop so that this does not happen again. We even have chicken wire 6 inches into the ground… Nothings ever been able to tunnel under or get in through the top. Maybe my best bet would be to try to rehome her… There is a Craigs listing of a person looking to bring more hens into her flock. That might be a better solution for the time being I suppose.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sorry for your losses. Chicken wire is not predator or pest proof, so first thing I'd do is beef up security around your entire set up. Post photos and specifics so we can troubleshoot.

If you truly feel overwhelmed at this time and can find your survivor a new home, that's also an option. Maybe you can take spring and summer to beef up your set up and then try again with a new flock without the worry about dealing with integration.

 

[Silkie2005]

I would go for pullets because that means that you hen will be able to be boss and won't have any fights with them like she would if you added adult hens. If you get chicks then your adult hen might kill them depending on how small they are! Hope you find some friends for her!