clg86 Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 One of my chickens died this morning (RIP Midge), but this means Marnie is now a lonely chicken. At the minute I don't plan on rescuing anymore ex batt hens due to lack of time being spent at home, but I want to do the best thing for Marnie. Is it more kind to keep her alone and avoid the stress of being introduced to a new flock if I re-home her, or should I sacrifice the bit of stress so she can eventually be with a big flock? I'm torn because I just want what's best for her. Also, she eats her own eggs so I'm not sure somebody would take her from me if they knew about that! Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 You could try getting 2 new ones as it will make introductions easier. The older hen will be the boss chuck and the young ones will be able to stick together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&T Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 Sorry for your loss. Introduced 2 new to 1 oldie a couple of times now - been pretty straight forward both times - although there is no guarantee of that of course. Personally, wouldn't want 1 chook by themselves for too long - they are flock birds. So if getting 2 new ones is not an option, I would try and rehome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 One of my chickens died this morning (RIP Midge), but this means Marnie is now a lonely chicken. At the minute I don't plan on rescuing anymore ex batt hens due to lack of time being spent at home, but I want to do the best thing for Marnie. I think the only thing to do if you don't want anymore girls at the moment is to re-home her, you could maybe hang on a few days and see if she is ok alone but my guess is she will not be and she will start pacing and calling for her friends:((( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 It's true that chickens are flock animals and enjoy company. However if you search on here (try searching 'lone chicken') you'll find quite a few people who say they've kept one chicken successfully. I think it would be difficult to rehome her, the best solution would be to get more hens but as you say that's not an option, you may just have to try it and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Lone hens still need company, so I guess it depends on whether you spend a lot of time with her. We had a house chicken for a long time, and she was OK because we were at home all day and kept her company. She had been badly bullied by the flock and nearly died, and only came into the kitchen so she could die peacefully. She didn't die though, she rallied, got stronger, and decided that she wanted to bed and breakfast with us. She went outside, safe from the others, whenever she wanted, but she always came back in again. I'm not suggesting you bring your hen inside - it only worked for us because ours wasn't really properly well. A fully healthy chicken, with proper chicken poos, would not have been an indooor option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
