Solitary chicken - need advice

[LizzieLloyd]

Hi all

I'm pre-empting a winter dilemma here that me and OH have started arguing over. Mary our hen solo is currently doing fine on her own as most of the time she gets to trundle around the garden and comes into the house to say hello but I'm worried that as the nights draw in and the weather gets colder she will start to struggle in the coop on her own at night. Ive suggested to OH that as winter draws in at night we could pop her in a small cat box with bedding in and bring her into the utility room at night and pop her back into the run in the daytime. Im concerned about her being cold and lonely. He thinks Im bonkers and noone in their right mind would do this

 

Can I ask if anyone does or has done this or am I truly losing the plot???

[Purplemaniacs]

I have brought poorly ones into the utility in a dog crate at night but this has only been for a few nights.

 

I have a solo ex batt Agnes, she lives in the WIR but is separated from the other big girls who have the other end and a . At night she is on her own in a . She was fine last winter.

 

Chrissie

[Leicester_H]

I had an elderly Solo Omlet girl (Boo - 7YO). She put herself to bed in a cat box and I brought it into the Utility Room MOST nights last winter - took her back out in the morning.

I looked at the BBC weather forecast and if it was going to be cold (say less than 4 degrees for quite a few hours) then she came it. It got her through the Winter.

I didn't want to take the chance of her getting too cold on her own.

Its so quick and easy to do - why take the risk ?

 

H

[LizzieLloyd]

Well I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who thinks like this

Think I may see how she gets on in the colder weather as she is an old bird and it may be her last winter