Hi! I have one Barred Rock and will be going on vacation. I have a friend who has offered to take my girl for the week that I'm gone and keep it with her 6. (I don't know what she has.) I'm wondering if this is a good idea or do you think she may be picked on too much? I do have the option of someone bringing her back home if it doesn't work but would be heartbroken if she was hurt while was gone. Thoughts?
1. I do think they'll pick on her. It's a big deal to introduce new chickens to a flock, they hurry to establish pecking order. 2. Even though her flock doesn't seem to have any illness, you're supposed to quarantine birds for a few weeks before introducing them. Your girl could come home sick. It's sure nice, though, of your friend to offer to watch her. I keep my sick chickens in a dog kennel in my garage, could she maybe do that for you?
I agree with goldfinches. It's a bad idea for a variety of reasons. If you have no one who could come and care for her at your home, a week or so in a dog crate at your friend's place might work. oops, Welcome to BYC!
Thanks for your input. I started with 3 "chickens", one turned out to be a rooster, one was killed by a hawk and now I'm down to my last girl and she's my favorite. I'd hate to have something happen to her and I know my friend would feel badly as well. I'll have to look into how I could keep her seperate.
Greetings from Kansas, anniesmom1, and ! Great to have you here! I also concur with goldfinches. Best of luck to you!!
Hello and welcome to BYC I agree with the above advice. And would like to ad that maybe you should think of getting her a chicken friend to keep her company? Maybe after your vacation. Chickens are very social creatures and they can get very lonely by themselves.
Thank you as well for the advice. I've been wanting to add another girl in but haven't settled on a breed. Plus would like to start from a chick since I think they really bond to you as they grow. I found a woman down the street that has chickens so I think I can get her to swing by and take care of mine so I don't have to worry the whole time I'm gone.
