Quarantining

[WatkinsCluckers]

I think I need to quarantine one of my Silkies due to a head sore that won’t get better.
Do chickens get depressed when they have to be separated from the group? And if so, how long is too long?

 

[azygous]

What you're doing is isolation, not really quarantining. Is the wound being pecked at and made worse by the other chickens? Is so, have you tried camouflaging it with Blu-kote?

Unless you need to isolate an injured chicken because the wound is being pecked, an injured or sick chicken is almost always better off left with their flock. Many of us have a partitioned section in our runs to isolate a sick or injured chicken so they can remain safely with the flock.

Sometimes it can't be helped and you need to remove the chicken to treat it more efficiently. In that case, if it's much longer than two or three days, there will be a reintegration issue. The absentee flock member will be challenged upon return due to the reorganizing of the pecking order in her absence. The conflict may last very briefly or take a few days to settle back in. You would do well to watch and intervene if necessary if it gets too brutal or use a partitioned section in the run, even a temporary barrier, to make the reentry more gradual.