Have 7 hens, 1 rooster in my flock.
Here's my QUESTION: Once a member of the flock is deemed "sick" or "weak" and the others peck at her, and once the hen is healthy again, does the flock quit picking on her?
While letting them out of the run to free-range a few days ago, I looked out the window and saw the rooster hop on one of the Buff Orpington hens - not the "good" hop - but like he jumped on her just to be mean, then he walked away.
She and the other Buff Orpington seem to be his "favorites" to mate with, judging from all the ruffled feathers and down on their backs.
After the rooster jumoed off, ther Silver Lace Wyandotte started chasing her all around.
The victim was very fluffed up - never seen one of them with feathers almost sticking straight out ...
Upon picking her up and shooing everybody away, when she would breath in, there was a bit of a whistle sound. Then looking at her back, there was a hole an inch or so in front of the tail head ... it looked like it was scabbing over but still a little bit "wet."
We've been keeping the victim separate from the flock, but so she can see them and still feel like they are there.
Two days ago we let her and our EE, who was hanging around the outside of the run and seemed interested in the victim, meet in the doorway - IMMEDIATELY the EE attacked the Buff Orp and there was a very short scuffle where I intervened.
Yesterday, my son let everybody get together at dusk as everyone was coming in to the coop to go to bed. He watched them for about 5 minutes and nobody did anything.
Then our Gold Wyandotte took a peck at the hen, which made her get all puffed up again, and my son intervened.
And we are treating the entire flock with Dynamicin 10 - the whistling hen still sounds a bit garbly in her noises (like chest congestion) but other than that, she eats and acts just fine. I am concerned for her safety, yet it is difficult to let her get out and exercised in shuffling everybody around.
Thanks,
Beth
Here's my QUESTION: Once a member of the flock is deemed "sick" or "weak" and the others peck at her, and once the hen is healthy again, does the flock quit picking on her?
While letting them out of the run to free-range a few days ago, I looked out the window and saw the rooster hop on one of the Buff Orpington hens - not the "good" hop - but like he jumped on her just to be mean, then he walked away.
She and the other Buff Orpington seem to be his "favorites" to mate with, judging from all the ruffled feathers and down on their backs.
After the rooster jumoed off, ther Silver Lace Wyandotte started chasing her all around.
The victim was very fluffed up - never seen one of them with feathers almost sticking straight out ...
Upon picking her up and shooing everybody away, when she would breath in, there was a bit of a whistle sound. Then looking at her back, there was a hole an inch or so in front of the tail head ... it looked like it was scabbing over but still a little bit "wet."
We've been keeping the victim separate from the flock, but so she can see them and still feel like they are there.
Two days ago we let her and our EE, who was hanging around the outside of the run and seemed interested in the victim, meet in the doorway - IMMEDIATELY the EE attacked the Buff Orp and there was a very short scuffle where I intervened.
Yesterday, my son let everybody get together at dusk as everyone was coming in to the coop to go to bed. He watched them for about 5 minutes and nobody did anything.
Then our Gold Wyandotte took a peck at the hen, which made her get all puffed up again, and my son intervened.
And we are treating the entire flock with Dynamicin 10 - the whistling hen still sounds a bit garbly in her noises (like chest congestion) but other than that, she eats and acts just fine. I am concerned for her safety, yet it is difficult to let her get out and exercised in shuffling everybody around.
Thanks,
Beth
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