(I swear I searched and read all I could from previous posts, but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for......sorry!)
Well, we had a chicken (June) that had surgery last Friday. See this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=38708
I kept her inside the first couple of days, but put her in an enclosed pen out in the coop on Sunday (she was feeling much better and DYING to get out of the dog kennel in the Living Room!). I brought her inside at night. Monday, same thing, in the enclosed pen in the coop and in the LR at night. Today I thought, "I'll just put her in with the other 2 and see if they pick on her because they can tell she is recovering, or if they don't even care".
Well, holy cow! I put her down and she and another hen go right at it, ripping each others combs like crazy (the other hen, Faye, started it). I separate them, there is blood on both combs, and put June in the pen again.
Then I start thinking..... (watch out!)...... June is the smallest hen, but has always been Alpha. The sweetest of the 3 was Faye (now, the Attack Chicken). When June got sick, suddenly, my sweet, docile Faye started pecking me when I entered the coop.... we even got into a brawl where I was holding her down trying to assert my Alpha-ness.
Clearly, she is trying to move into the top position.... and here I bring June(previous Alpha) back into the flock. So the aggression makes more sense to me but I have some concerns about it:
1- June seems like she is doing great, her antibiotics are done with, but I don't want her to have to battle it out for Alpha if she is not 100%, especially since she is naturally smaller, and even moreso now, that she has lost so much weight from her crop impaction. How long should I wait till she is 100%--- or is she now? (Surgery was last Friday-- She seemed MUCH better by Saturday, and *seems* all better now.)
2- I am OK letting them "work it out" but at what point do I intervene? Blood???
3- My plan is for June to stay in the pen in the coop 24 hours a day with me letting them all out to free range together and watch them. If that goes well, I will progress to letting them be in the coop together with me watching. If that goes well, I am thinking of putting June in the House at nighttime to roost with the others, and then they will wake up *like best friends in the morning*
Is this a good plan, or will I come out in the morning to a dead chicken?
4- ARRGH! Why is this so hard! (OK, so that is not a question, but I am frustrated! They were only apart for 48 hours, and they have lived spent every dang day of their year old lives together........and we have blood and destruction??!!??!!! ARRGH!)
The end.
Thoughts???
Well, we had a chicken (June) that had surgery last Friday. See this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=38708
I kept her inside the first couple of days, but put her in an enclosed pen out in the coop on Sunday (she was feeling much better and DYING to get out of the dog kennel in the Living Room!). I brought her inside at night. Monday, same thing, in the enclosed pen in the coop and in the LR at night. Today I thought, "I'll just put her in with the other 2 and see if they pick on her because they can tell she is recovering, or if they don't even care".
Well, holy cow! I put her down and she and another hen go right at it, ripping each others combs like crazy (the other hen, Faye, started it). I separate them, there is blood on both combs, and put June in the pen again.
Then I start thinking..... (watch out!)...... June is the smallest hen, but has always been Alpha. The sweetest of the 3 was Faye (now, the Attack Chicken). When June got sick, suddenly, my sweet, docile Faye started pecking me when I entered the coop.... we even got into a brawl where I was holding her down trying to assert my Alpha-ness.
Clearly, she is trying to move into the top position.... and here I bring June(previous Alpha) back into the flock. So the aggression makes more sense to me but I have some concerns about it:
1- June seems like she is doing great, her antibiotics are done with, but I don't want her to have to battle it out for Alpha if she is not 100%, especially since she is naturally smaller, and even moreso now, that she has lost so much weight from her crop impaction. How long should I wait till she is 100%--- or is she now? (Surgery was last Friday-- She seemed MUCH better by Saturday, and *seems* all better now.)
2- I am OK letting them "work it out" but at what point do I intervene? Blood???
3- My plan is for June to stay in the pen in the coop 24 hours a day with me letting them all out to free range together and watch them. If that goes well, I will progress to letting them be in the coop together with me watching. If that goes well, I am thinking of putting June in the House at nighttime to roost with the others, and then they will wake up *like best friends in the morning*
4- ARRGH! Why is this so hard! (OK, so that is not a question, but I am frustrated! They were only apart for 48 hours, and they have lived spent every dang day of their year old lives together........and we have blood and destruction??!!??!!! ARRGH!)
The end.
Thoughts???