I have a 18 month old australorp hen who happens to really like being a house chicken after a few weeks inside. Here's the story.A couple of weeks ago I found "henny penny" in the corner of the coop trying to hide behind the feeder. She was already missing alot of feathers from her back( hen pecked) and it was easy to see her injuries...she had two laceration to her hip area - one fairly deep. Ended up having to debride ( remove dead tissue ) from one of the lacerated areas after a few days and started her on penicillin injections for wound infections. Well that cleared up very well and since she was eating and drinking well I re-inroduced her back to the coop after dark one night. Next morning found her shivering in the corner again, shaking like a leaf. The other hens don't seem to mind her being back. The young roo ( 4 month old) sems to dislike her and she is terrified of him. Now that I think about it, he may be the reason for her initial injuries...I previously thought she had been attacked by some predator and escaped. Brought her back into the house for a few more days and now she is molting and has some marveluos looking feathers coming in on her previously bare back area. I've tried re-intorducing her - no luck - she is terrified. The roo chases her down and she runs away screaming her lungs out. So now she sleeps in the basement at night under the heat lamp in her comfy dog crate and I put her on the deck every morning. She pitifully stands at the door and watches all the activity inside the family room. I'm thinking of putting her a little dog house on the deck and just making a pet of her but hubby says "no way". Any suggestions? Will it be easier to re-introduce after all her feathers come back and she looks more normal? Of course, by then she will probably be eating at the kitchen table!!
