Hens are flock animals and are never happier than when they have their coop mates around them. But what to do if you find yourself with a lonely chicken?
A hen’s daily interactions include communal sunbathing, group worm digging and squeezing into the nest box with their friend, even though there is an empty nest box next door.
However, if you’ve found yourself with a lonely chicken for whatever reason, there are steps you can take to ensure she stays happy and healthy.
There are many reasons why a hen may be left on her own. Perhaps her flock mates have died and there hasn’t been an opportunity to replace them, or circumstances may have changed, and the hen keeper doesn’t want to take on more hens.
Whatever the reason, it’s important to remember that, broadly speaking, hens should not live on their own so here we’ll look at your options, should you find yourself with a lonely chicken.
It should be said that you know your hen better than anyone – in some cases, chickens are perfectly happy with just their own company so, if your hen is thriving and you are looking to wind down your flock naturally, a solution may not actually be necessary.
In that case, you can take on the role of companion to the remaining hen. Ideally, she would not be left in a coop and run away from human company. Even if she spends part of the day with people, she will be happy and may even come to enjoy being the centre of attention. Daily handling and cuddles are key. If this is not possible invest in a small radio so that she has the sound of human voices and won’t become lonely.
Adopt friends for your lonely chicken
Of course, our preferred option is for you to rehome some more hens from us! That’s more lives saved and more hens living out a free-range retirement in a lovely back garden environment.
It had always been our policy that rehomers should adopt a minimum of three hens; however, this was changed because many people with a single lonely hen may prefer to adopt just two.
Therefore, if you like to keep your flock small and want to bring two more feathery friends into your coop to keep your single hen company, please contact us and we can arrange this.
How about a house hen?
As mentioned above, some people may find that their lonely hen is perfectly fine without any extra company; however, we have also known rehomers to keep a house hen. It’s not for everyone, but evidence has shown us that this can work in some cases.
Of course, this takes a little doing; hens aren’t house trained so you will need to be prepared for the droppings and ensure other pets will be okay with a bird ruling the roost inside the house.
Hens do get on well with other small furries such as rabbits and guinea pigs, so if you have any of these in your family it may be worth integrating them, if only for a short period, to keep your hen company.
Rehoming a lonely chicken
If you’ve come to the decision that you do not wish to keep hens anymore but need to find some company for your lonely chicken, it may be that you wish to rehome her.
This needs to be done carefully and slowly; introducing a single hen into another flock can be tricky, though not impossible.
Try to find a friend nearby who has hens and would be happy to adopt your single chicken. Then you can make regular visits to get her (and the existing flock) used to each other over time.
Be prepared for some fighting and keep an open mind in case this doesn’t work, and you need to find an alternative solution.
Avian Influenza
It is worth noting that, if we are unable to rehome due to an outbreak of Avian Influenza, then of course adopting hens from us won’t be an option for a (hopefully short) period.
In this case it’s important to do whatever you can to keep your lonely hen happy, such as introducing boredom busters to keep her hentertained.
The bottom line on a lonely chicken
As you’ll now see there are a few options available to you should you find yourself with a lonely chicken.
Whatever you decide, it’s important to make sure your hen is always happy; if she is notably miserable on her own then it’s vital you find her some company.
For further information and support, please visit our Hen Helpline.
