Only have two chickens left, scared on what to do next.

[Grimalove]

So, it is coming around 5 years since I've owned my first flock, I started with four and now have two left the other two have passed, one randomly (devastating to see your first go) and the other was diagnosed with an egg lash infection. The weird part about her was I continued to give her antibiotics, she looked like she was getting better then she got worse took her to the vet, passed away over night and test came back with kidney failure?? I'm 22 now and got them around 2018, so sad about my babies and I feel guilty all the time when I look at the other two knowing their sisters are gone, I got them together as chicks. My one red has been having random scares, cases of poopy butt and sometimes swollen. Vet put her on birth control and that has helped a lot, but poopy butt has come back and she is secreting similar stuff that my last chicken had that labelled her with an egg lash infection. I'm calling the vet tomorrow, hoping to catch the case early. But it reminds me on when the inevitable comes where there's one left. The healthiest one has been my favorite since I've gotten them, the thought of rehoming her breaks my heart cause she's my girl you know? I can no longer afford to keep more chickens even though I would like to, but I will be moving out of my parents house eventually, and cannot bring anymore into the coop. I tend to think that I am a sentimental person when it comes to my pets, I’ve buried the first two in my backyard under a beautiful tree, and I have the plan to bury all of them together but if I rehomed my last one, would it be weird of me to ask them to call me when she gets sick or passes so I can have her body back to bury them with her sisters? I would like to keep my last one at home with me, but I feel like that would just be worse for her being alone in the backyard. I know some say that chickens can stay by themselves for a little bit, but they are flock animals, and I know how important it is to have others with them, but I can’t bear to part from her, even though it might be the best option.
Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Red Mangrove]

Motherhood is the essence of a hen. They lay eggs regularly as part of their ovulation cycle, so they can become mothers. They lay a clutch of eggs, hatch them, raise them, then begin laying another clutch to make more babies. It's an infinity of cycles and they gain vitality from it

No hen here is more beautiful than when she attacks a fox to protect her babies. They look like fearsome little dragons

I've never felt sorrow at the loss of my original generation, and that's because the death here has been abundantly overbalanced by a cascade of life. My original generation are now 4x great grandparents

If you want healthy hens I would give them as much free-ranging as possible and then get them a rooster so they can feel full chickenhood

 

[Tired old Rooster]

It is tough, but you need to let her go to a place where she has a chance to live well. Ask around here and you will get help with that. Quite a few folks take in chickens.

 

[Mrs J]

Hello and welcome to backyard chickens. I totally understand where you are coming from, but if you re-home your hen, I feel it would be unreasonable to ask for her remains back so you could bury them all together, the ppl who take her on will love her as their own so it is a hard one. So sorry you are going through this hopefully you will catch this case early and have 2 happy sisters with no need to re home your girl

 

[townchicks]

Frankly, I'm going to give you some tough love here and say rehome both girls together now. It will be hard for you, I understand that but it will be the best thing for your hens. It is easier to integrate 2 hens than one and they will have each other for support. You already know that you are leaving and at least one will likely need to be rehomed. It may take a while to find a good home for older hens so start now. I'm sorry you will lose them but this is part of growing up to be a mature, responsible animal caretaker. Good luck.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I think rehoming both is one option for sure, especially if you know you won't be around (moving, college, work, etc) a lot to take care of any surviving bird. However you should fully disclose any illnesses such as the salpingitis to a prospective new owner.

That said, IF you or your family have enough time to spend with the surviving bird as a surrogate flock, she may still do fine even without chicken buddies. Rehoming isn't easy on older birds, so as long as your household can meet her needs, she may be better off just staying put.

 

[Mrs. K]

Your hens are 5 years old. I would expect the end would close for both of them.

 

[Grimalove]

I think rehoming both is one option for sure, especially if you know you won't be around (moving, college, work, etc) a lot to take care of any surviving bird. However you should fully disclose any illnesses such as the salpingitis to a prospective new owner.

That said, IF you or your family have enough time to spend with the surviving bird as a surrogate flock, she may still do fine even without chicken buddies. Rehoming isn't easy on older birds, so as long as your household can meet her needs, she may be better off just staying put.

I totally agree, them being older definitely makes me hesitant to rehome. My dad and I visit them three times a day at the moment. I clean the coop 1 to every 2 weeks and I let them out to free range and usually will sit with them. But the heat has made it harder for me to hang with them as much, luckily they have the shadiest spot on the property. Are my visits enough as a surrogate flock or should I be doing more?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I totally agree, them being older definitely makes me hesitant to rehome. My dad and I visit them three times a day at the moment. I clean the coop 1 to every 2 weeks and I let them out to free range and usually will sit with them. But the heat has made it harder for me to hang with them as much, luckily they have the shadiest spot on the property. Are my visits enough as a surrogate flock or should I be doing more?

I don't think there's a magic number. They'll just want someone to "talk" to and spend time with. Three times a day sounds plenty, as long as it's not just throwing them some treats and walking away.

 

[Mrs. K]

Truthfully chickens don’t really have psychological issues. Animals are quite accepting of the status quo.

You are doing more than enough. I kept a new rooster by himself for 8 weeks because I was not positive if he had a bad moly or was something wrong. He was fine with it. He was also perfectly fine when I let him out and he found hens.

IMO you are giving human emotions to the birds.