- Mar 29, 2015
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A friend of mine showed me one of her chickens that wasn't doing well in her flock. This chicken was the roosters favorite and had a bald patch on her back and neck, walked with a limp, and was relentlessly picked on by the other hens. She was hiding under the coop ladder when I first saw her and my heart broke. Next thing you know, my friend asked if I'd take her to see if I could integrate her into my flock (without a rooster). So, I packed her up and took her home. I put her in the brooder in the garage until quarantine was over. Over the last few weeks I've been allowing my flock to free range with her but she's petrified of them. She ends up back in the garage hiding or alone on my porch. She panics when the others approach her and her panic causes such a scene that the flock is drawn to her and they start to chase and peck at her. It's been weeks now and I just don't see her fitting in with them. I'm afraid to put her in the coop or run with them for fear of them killing her, but I can't keep cracking the garage every day for her while I'm at work.
I have a small goat shed with 2 nigerian dwarfs... But she's even afraid of them. Plus, I don't know how I'd make a home in the goat shed without eggs getting broken and them eating each other's food. Either I figure out a way to make that work or I build her a mini coop for herself. Does anyone have any words of wisdom?
I have a small goat shed with 2 nigerian dwarfs... But she's even afraid of them. Plus, I don't know how I'd make a home in the goat shed without eggs getting broken and them eating each other's food. Either I figure out a way to make that work or I build her a mini coop for herself. Does anyone have any words of wisdom?
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