Unsecure chicken perches

[Ginfiend]

My Delilah died yesterday evening leaving us with a lonely Doris.

 

We've only had the chooks since December, so I wouldn't have called them an established pair. Now that Doris is on her own, we need to sort out a companion...

 

If we get just the one, would we be able to introduce them straight away? Or if we get 2, would they be likely to bully Doris? We don't have the room or the equipment to segregate any of them for a period of time. But we can't leave Doris on her own - that would be cruel.

 

It's all turning out to be so much more complicated and expensive than we imagined. Quite down about it all to be honest.

[sadietoo]

Sorry to hear you lost Delilah... You can introduce just one chook to another. I have done it recently with the help of a great article by Lesley Jean, which someone more computer literate than I will be able to link you to I am sure. Not a lot of extra equipment needed, because you can probably sleep them together at night time ( actually we brought Pansy indoors for the first week or so) Just need to separate off an area of your run to get the intros going and free range them together (supervise with a water pistol as it can get a bit nasty). I just used canes to separate my run. and it worked well. Good luck with it, and don't be too disheartened. they are worth it in the endxx

[Christian]

Link to introductions here

 

I personally would add 2 new hens. Makes things easier and avoids being left with a lone hen again. It is more likely that Doris will bully the new comers as she is the 'established hen'.

 

I do understand how upsetting it is Ginfiend, but don't let it put you off. Sometimes you are unlucky through no fault if your own. Chicken keeping has it's up and downs, but overall they are great to have pottering around the garden!

 

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[Seagazer]

I'm sorry to hear that Delilah has died. I hope you find a friend(s) for Doris soon.

[Laura & CTB]

Sorry to hear about Delilah but please dont be too disheartened, you've just had really bad luck. I would get Doris a couple of friends, it wouldn't be too difficult and we are always here to give you advice and encouragement

 

I hope you will soon reap the rewards of chicken keeping - dont give up

[Ginfiend]

Thanks for all your messages - will try and stay positive! Seem to be having an elongated spell of bad luck recently - hence the dark mood... Hopefully that's it for now and things will start to look up.

 

Just spent a couple of hours disinfecting everything and sorting out a new permanent spot for the run. Now have the edging fixed and lots of woodchip for Doris to kick around. And tucked her up with a bottle as she's on her own now. Poor little pecker.

 

Will try and work out what to do next.

 

Thanks again guys - appreciate the kind words.

[Laura & CTB]

Let us know how you get on Ginfiend.

[Ginfiend]

I think we're going to get 2 more chickens to keep Doris company...just looking into a couple of local suppliers. Although not sure on the breeds...but that's another story...

 

Thing is - it's going to be a couple of weeks before we can sort it all out. The whole introduction process is going to take a bit of thought. Not ideal for poor Doris. She's in the run all day and I let her out for a half hour free-range when I get home, but that's not every day because I can't always get back before dark. We have a lot of foxes so can't let her out unsupervised, which is a shame.

 

Anyway - until we can sort out some feathered friends, is there anything we can do in the meantime, to keep her entertained or stop her feeling too lonely?

[Plum]

She'll be glad you are getting more.

 

You could try hanging a mirror near or in the run so she thinks there are others about, or perhaps leaving a radio on. I don't know if these work