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Carolemagic

Am I too too late...

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Sadly we lost the second of our original gingernut rangers this summer and find ourselves with 'an only hen', our remaining Miss Pepperpot. She seems to have come into her own as an only one, ruling her solitary roost and becoming quite a character. However, I feel that it might be better for her to have a couple of new pals for the winter, not least to keep warm in the cube.

Am I too late to get new ones before the winter and is it right that it is best to introduce only as many hens as you currently have ie get one now and later get up to two, which is what someone has told me?

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No you are not too late :D

 

If it is hybrids you are after then these are available all year round and if it is pure breeds then this is a good time for POL as they will have had time to grow up. In the autumn preparations will be going on for the big shows and breeders will find that there are chooks that they were 'bringing on' that are not quite up to show standard so they will be looking for homes for these.

 

Regarding intros - well it is always best not to have a single hen fending off two. On the other hand, if you get 2 new ones that do not already know one another then you will, as it were, have 3 hens checking one another out. The upper hand will be with your resident hen but the other two will have one another for moral support.

 

So go for it and enjoy :D

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I got 3 new girls today :D .

 

Most of my hens have been bought in September (apart from 2 in January) and I find it's as good a time as any to get them :D .

 

I think how many you get depends how many you have room for/how many eggs you want/how much you want to spend! I've never heard the "get the same number that you already have" rule :? . I'm sure I've read on the forum about introductions to a lone hen that go better than usual just because it is a lone hen (and presumably is desperate for company!)

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We successfully introduced two new hybrids to our sole hen a few months back after her companion was PTS. We deliberately choose two of the same colour as the deceased chook in the hope she might accept them more easily. We took it easily by partitioning the WIR for a few days and then doing supervised free-ranging and provided multiple feeding stations etc and it all went remarkably well - so good luck!

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