My chicken needs some friends!

[cablechick]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. I started w/three little girls three years ago. Last year, one vanished. Long short is that Saturday a week ago, something attacked one of my girls, and the other one disappeared. I had to put my red down last week, she was in bad shape. Thinking I did not have anymore left....... Well, yesterday, out of the blue, here comes the one that disappeared last week! We think she was so terrified by the loss of her friend, she had been hiding in the barn, although we searched everywhere for her. It was a Mothers Day miracle! She is a Buff Orpington and I need to get her some friends, and am looking for hens about her age, not sure how she would do w/little one? I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but am also on the Western Shore daily,and I am 4 miles from Camden, DE. Can anyone help me please!! Thanks so much!

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, cablechick, and

! Pleased you joined us! Glad your chicken returned - a great gift, indeed! Good luck to you!

 

[write2caroline]

Welcome from Jacksonville

Something I noticed with my many little flocks. It is tough to add a chicken to a flock. It is hard to have one and if you get another - they may get along but if you get a few your single buff may not be high on the pecking order.

I started with 3 and lost one, then I got 4 more, so I had 6 but the two older ones never meshed with the 4 younger ones, then I lost the second of the original 3 and the 4 still would never accept her and she was always low..

I let her raise chicks and that was great until her broody switch switched back off and then she didn't accept her own chicks and they didn't meld with her either.

So....
my advice is to not get a few friends and if you get her a friend - please be careful and remember to isolate that lone chicken for 30 days so that neither makes the other sick.

It happens - I lost a whole flock when a rogue leghorn showed up a couple years ago and then everyone got sick....I lost a few including my favorite buff orps......I medicated everyone......It was a huge mess.

Welcome again and I am so glad your Buff came home.

Caroline

 

[cablechick]

Thanks a bunch for the advice, I feel so sad for her!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC!!!

Glad to have you aboard!!

 

[drumstick diva]