Unsecure chicken perches

[Stevie Adams]

We've just lost Eddie today (Miss Pepperpot) and poor Patsy (Ginger) is all by herself. Someone told me Chickens don't like to be alone, but I'm also told that you can't introduce one chicken?

 

Should I buy two more and hope that they get along or should I see how Patsy gets on alone? I don't like the thought of her not having a friend to keep her company and chase after worms with?

[jennym]

Sorry for your loss.

 

Chickens don't generally like to be alone, but as to whether it's better to introduce one or two, I'm not sure. I thought the problem with introducing one is that the new girl won't have a friend and the others could gang up on her - not a problem if you only have one in your current 'flock'. Having said that you may as well go for 2 so you don't end up with a lone chicken again (and so begins chicken math...)

 

Hopefully someone with more experience than me will be along shortly...

[gongladosh]

RIP Eddie.

 

Hens are flock creatures - they don't cope well with being alone, they need the company of similar.

 

What I'd probably do is get another one or two. If you get one, you can merge them but depending on how it goes, you may need to take your time. I did this not so long ago merging a bantam chicken of fate that we rescued with three other hens. It took a bit of patience and a while, but it's possible.

 

It's generally easier to merge two than one, but you're not merging into a flock really, so it may be a bit easier (plus your existing girl may resist change a little less).

 

It's probably worth adding - don't worry if it takes a while to merge them, your girl will be OK as long as she can see/smell/talk to another hen nearby. The way we do it is (and we're lucky in that we have a spare eglu in addition to the cube) to put the eglu in line of sight but at a distance for quarantine reasons for the new girl/s for a couple of weeks. Once we're happy, we move them closer. Once the hens are *starting* to accept each other, we move the elgu so it's almost touching so they can get used to each other's smell. After that, we start trying to get them in together.

 

Once you can free range them together, they'll let you know when they're ready to be a flock.

Good luck.