Lonley hen - make friends with chicks?

[wemimew]

Hi everyone,

I have a silkie hen who seems to have no friends in the flock. Her old 'bestie' seems to have moved into a different group she does not fit into leaving her alone and looking depressed.

This one is a nice little thing and the bottom of the pecking order - do you think it would be worth while putting her in the growing pen with the 2mth olds? Is this something any of you have tried before? She does seem miserable and I feel terrible for her - as soon as I come into the run she is straight next to me for company, this behaviour continues during free ranging.

I have checked for illness/injury and everything is fine, she also sports a mohawk so vision isnt a problem.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give on this one.

 

[feathermaid]

You could try putting her in with the chicks and watch to see if she gets along any better. Maybe separate with wire for a while just so they can know each other a bit before full contact. At 8 weeks, chicks are just starting to experiment with pecking order and your silkie may or may not fit in, might have to just play it by ear. Chicks will usually bond and stay friends with chicks they grew up with in their same age group, but you never know, the silkie could become part of their group. I had a lone EE hen and brought in some chicks and had them all together by 4 weeks. She seemed annoyed by them at first, went her own way at times but they were never mean to each other. She has since made her new best buddy a girl of her same breed.

Do you plan to get more chicks or hatching eggs soon? Does your silkie ever go broody? Another option would be to try to let her have her own babies to raise, and then they would likely stay friends forever. I wish you and your poor girl the best!