Pecking order

mikeythepotatoe said:

Hi! My name is Michael. A friend of mine recently gave me a hen that he could no longer take care of due to his pesky dog. I brought her home since I have 5 hens already. But to my surprise when I put her in the coop with the others two of them started attacking her! I knew I couldn't leave her with them so I locked her in the top part of the coop where they couldn't get her. Any ideas what I could do to make them stop pecking? FYI the new hen is a Plymouth Rock and the other five are 2 brown leghorns, 2 white leghorns, and a mixed breed. (The 2 leghorns are the ones attacking her the most). Thanks!

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Wyorp Rock said:

Hi Michael Welcome To BYC

Check her over for any wounds.  If she has any, then carefully clean them with some saline and apply some triple antibiotic ointment or vetericyn.

Ideally any new chickens you bring home should be quarantined for at least a couple of weeks.  This way you can monitor them for any health issues and check them for any parasites (lice/mites, worms) that they may have.

Chickens generally view any new members as strangers, so it's not uncommon for them to attack, seriously injure or kill new birds that are just placed in the coop and run with them.  An integration period is usually best after quarantine.  A "see-but-don't-touch" method seems to be a good way to integrate without too much aggression.

There are many threads and articles here on BYC about integrating a single bird so have a look at those and pick what seems best for your situation.

I'll give you a couple of articles to get you started:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/06/integrating-new-flock-members-playpen.html

Here's a little info on quarantine:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/quarantine-of-backyard-chickens-why-and.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2016/08/biosecurity-for-backyard-chickens.html

 

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mikeythepotatoe said:

Thanks so much! She doesn't have any serious injuries except for the tail feathers that were bitten off by my friends dog. I also noticed some white specks on her feathers, I don't know if it's lice though(my hens have never had lice). Do you mind sending me a picture of what lice on hens looks like and the ointment I can put on her? Thanks!

Click to expand...

mikeythepotatoe said:

Thanks so much! She doesn't have any serious injuries except for the tail feathers that were bitten off by my friends dog. I also noticed some white specks on her feathers, I don't know if it's lice though(my hens have never had lice). Do you mind sending me a picture of what lice on hens looks like and the ointment I can put on her? Thanks!

Click to expand...