New to all this...

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Chicken Jan!

In the Brooder
May 28, 2018
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As you can see by my title, I'm new to raising backyard chickens. I adopted 2 hens from a friend and thought things were going pretty well, until a raccoon raided my coop in the middle of the night. I lost one of my girls and the other is on the mend. I'm shell shocked and heartbroken. We thought we had fortified the coop 100%, but sadly we were wrong. We have made more adjustments to the coop and are trying to trap the raccoon, but until then I'm keeping my girl in a large enclosure in my garage.
My question is - is she OK to live alone? I know how social chickens are, but honestly I cant stand the thought of adding more and potentially losing them.
She gets along great with my 2 dogs and cat and we have a busy household that is consisting interacting with her. Are we enough, or will she get depressed by herself?
 
Chicken Jan! said:
As you can see by my title, I'm new to raising backyard chickens. I adopted 2 hens from a friend and thought things were going pretty well, until a raccoon raided my coop in the middle of the night. I lost one of my girls and the other is on the mend. I'm shell shocked and heartbroken. We thought we had fortified the coop 100%, but sadly we were wrong. We have made more adjustments to the coop and are trying to trap the raccoon, but until then I'm keeping my girl in a large enclosure in my garage.
My question is - is she OK to live alone? I know how social chickens are, but honestly I cant stand the thought of adding more and potentially losing them.
She gets along great with my 2 dogs and cat and we have a busy household that is consisting interacting with her. Are we enough, or will she get depressed by herself?
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I am sorry you lost her friend it would be good to get one her size it really is not great to have them alone .... I sure hope you catch the racoon.. above all Welcome to Backyard Chickens you have done all everything right
 
:welcome
Glad you decided to join the party!! There are so many knowledgeable folks here willing to answer any/all questions. We share stories, laughter, and sometimes grief...it really is a big happy family. Jump right in any enjoy!:highfive:

I agree she needs a friend. Chicken math will catch you anyway as it does us all!!:gig
 
Welcome! I'm new too! I'm learning so much poring over the forums each night. Some great info? Sorry about your gal! I find my group to be quite social so I'm sure a pal or two would be appropriate. Be careful though... start chicken hunting and you'll likely not be able to help yourself and bring home more. We just bought a new house and it came with a rooster! I now have 13! So many beautiful breeds to choose from! I love and want them ALL! LOL! Good luck catching the coon. Canned cat food in the trap is Great bait. We've caught many. It helps to disguise the trap a bit too. They are smart.
 
Maybe you should check out " People with house chickens." If you don't want more, she could become a house pet. You and others in the family would be her flock and she'd be much safer than living out in coop waiting for the coon to return. It certainly will.

My friend has had a succession of house chickens for over 25 years- she may have been the original house chicken keeper - who knows.
 

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