I asked that too but was told quite passionately by chick-friends here that chickens are flock birds and there needs to be more than one.
That said, I know someone who only has one and that one does fine by herself b/c there are kids in the household that play with her often.
THAT said, I went out and bought 2 Brown pullets to keep my Cornish X company.
They're getting used to each other at the moment in separate housing but it seems they like to be near one another, they stay close even with the separation.
I think chickens need at least one other chicken friend. They're flock animals by nature and prefer friendship of their own kind. I have heard you can keep chickens happy on their own if you spend lots of time with them, but it's nice for them to have a chicken friend to talk to, too
I know a person who only has one chicken for 6 years!
Her white Leghorn roo lives with his friend (owner??) inside of her house.
She takes him for walks regulary and they sleep together at night. I can say they are almost inseparable.
It seemed very strange to me at first, but they look happy together
His life style is far from 'natural' for chickens so I really don't know if there is any serious problems with it or not unless someone has a heart-to-heart talk with him oneday
Thank you all for your responses. I only have a very small amount of space ..which is why I was asking about having one. ....but I think it best that I wait til I move and have enough space for 2 or 3 ...we wouldn't want lonely chickens
Go ahead and get 3! The stuff you need and the space for 3 isn't really that much more than one. You still have to buy food, water, and accessories for one, so just double the size of the dog house and get three!