Should I let my 12-yr old solo hen re-learn to live alone?

[cmom]

So sorry for your losses. I have a couple of older hens. I will keep them for the rest of their lives. My situation is quite different because I have a lot of birds. I have kept these birds in the same coop and now and then move birds around for breeding purposes, so they usually get new coop mates. Luckily the other birds haven't bothered them. Both of my older females have issues so they get a little extra TLC. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[LindaKos]

Chickens are Social animals they have a social nature so no it would be like solitary prison for her to live alone maby give her a hen parnter to stay with her. also what breed is she and what breed are the younger ones

Thought I answered this yesterday but it seems to have disappeared. The young one who died was a Wyandotte and my 12-yr old is an Ameraucana. She lays pale seafoam green eggs. Hope she'll still give me a couple but she hasn't yet. She's still extremely healthy.

 

[LindaKos]

How cute! Any pictures?


Awe, you've got a lot on your plate. I hear turtles can be quite messy!

Aquatic turtles need to be fed outside their habitat - I put them in a sink to feed them; because they are very messy eaters - otherwise I'd need to clean their 55 gal tank frequently. As is, I have a large filter that keeps their tank clean.

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

Aquatic turtles need to be fed outside their habitat - I put them in a sink to feed them; because they are very messy eaters - otherwise I'd need to clean their 55 gal tank frequently. As is, I have a large filter that keeps their tank clean. View attachment 2489052

We thought about getting my niece a turtle until I found out how messy they were hahaha.

Your Winnie was beautiful! And Ms Chicken Little aswell! Love their feather colors!

 

[cmom]

Thought I answered this yesterday but it seems to have disappeared. The young one who died was a Wyandotte and my 12-yr old is an Ameraucana. She lays pale seafoam green eggs. Hope she'll still give me a couple but she hasn't yet. She's still extremely healthy.

That has happened to me too. I have another coop and pen that is empty now. I had another bird that needed extra TLC. I had a young male in with her that needed some TLC too. When I first put him in with Gladys she didn't care for him too well. Some of the other males in a bachelor coop and pen beat him up and for awhile he couldn't walk. He would try to follow Gladys around and eventually was able to walk again. She got to where she would wait for him to catch up to her, but then he started getting aggressive towards us. There was a fellow who was looking for a Rhode Island White male, which he was, to put with some females he had. I told him that he could be a bit aggressive. He didn't seem to care. After the male went Gladys stopped laying eggs. I think she missed him. I never heard back so I don't know what became of the male. One day I let Gladys out of her pen and then got distracted and a fox got her. I still blame myself for not putting her back in her pen while I was distracted.

I got a little sidetracked. My point was that Gladys stopped laying after she lost her buddy. I have other birds but because Gladys needed some TLC, so I couldn't keep her with the rest of birds. Again, good luck with whatever you decide...

 

[maroongrad]

Can you get another old hen that is past laying age? Those aren't hard to find; people who have old girls that aren't laying but don't want to kill them just for getting old. I'd recommend putting an ad on craigslist asking for an older hen lawn ornament, and then get her a buddy that way.
At one point, I had an "only hen". She lived in the house (always a challenge to keep a diaper on her!), and antagonized the cats and was absolute best friends with the dog. They'd sleep together, ride in the SUV together, the works. She was pretty happy but was also convinced she was some sort of superior semi-human dog. When I went back to work, she was about 6 months old and went to live on a farm with other chickens again. She continued to sleep inside with their kids, but had a flock to bully outside whenever she felt like it too. Best of all worlds for her!
Unless your hen has a strong bond with another animal or you as a companion, go find her another old biddy They'll be happier for it! If you get a younger hen that's laying? When your old girl passes, finding a new home for the young hen isn't usually a problem.

 

[cmom]

I had two old hens that I have had for years and had hatched them out. One (Muffin) recently passed. I went out to the coop and found her one morning. I have another older hen (Lady) that was in with her. I had recently moved birds around and put some birds from my grow-out coops in with them because I sold the birds that were in their coop except for them (Muffin and Lady). I breed heritage birds and had sold some for others to get a start with my line. Muffin had been in another coop prior and I moved her in the same coop as Lady. Muffin was always the first to greet me. By the time muffin passed all of the birds in that coop had been together for a little while. I don't want to move Lady because she is very old and has seen many birds come and go and has been in that coop her whole life. The other birds don't bother her and she still gets around ok even though she is a little bent up. Chickens are flock animals so I have always kept other birds with my old gals. Muffin was a little younger than Lady but still quite old. There have been a couple of times over the years I thought Lady was a goner but she has always rallied back. I hope you found a solution for your hen.