Big black hen picking on partial blind 8 week old chick

[chickencrazylady]

I have just acquired an partial blind chick/hen and my 1 year old hen is literally throwing her weight around and being kinda mean to the new chick. I have a small enclosure for the chick within the adult run, Any suggestions, how long until HennyPenny accepts the new? My 1 year old Silkie rooster seems okay with the new chick, but then again, I just think he's looking at her and thinking jailbait!! I'm thinking he's just an horny toad bird! From what I have read here at byc is that as long as the adult hen sees the chick it should take about an month for the chick to be accepted by the adult. Any help or suggestions are most welcome.

 

[NonnasBabies]

&

from Louisiana! You need to make sure there at least the same size before you put them together. Your normal pecking order will still have to be established!! Good luck!!

 

[John Chicken GB]

Quote:
I cant help wondering why are you bothering with a partialy bling chick ? I would put it down and start again with a good'n ! Oh . this message is for original questioner !

 

[MareeZoCool]

I would lock that big bully up. Confine the big black hen to a wire dog crate for a week, allowing that new chick-hen to mingle with the rest of your flock.

 

[sourland]

Little chickens being introduced to grown chickens is a problem waiting to happen. Keep them separate until the chick is mature-- even then given her disability she will have some problems.

 

[Abirdbrain]

ya, I wouldn't waste my time with a cripple like that. Given the motions of big/little pecking order, the little one will be blindsided constantly, and it will be dificult to evade injury. Even In a good flock, the size diference causes an upset as the larger dominant hens always bully to keep the pecking order. Mostly it is just posturing, but if it gets bloody, you can get a lot of damage quickly and lose a bird.

 

[andalusn]

In the chicken order of things the older hen came first, it's er territory and she is at the top of the pecking order as she sees it. The chick right now is too young to defend itself and will spend most of its time hiding. I have a hen that while part of the flock had an injury and became blind in one eye. Her place was already established so there is no issue w/in the flock but the rooster has chosen her as the "one", his go to hen and she looks very used. If you really want to keep this chick it would be best to keep it away from the other hen. Not knowing your setup can you get her a friend of the same age to be her pen mate and set them up in possibly another pen, large dog crate or cage while they grown and then when of the same size try again? There will still be the same pecking order to establish but the hen will be older, possibly wiser and have a buddy to help pave the way.

 

[chickencrazylady]

Thank you everyone for your input to my problem of the partial blind chicken and HennyPenny my big black bossie hen, while I have placed the chick in my old rooster's home-made box and it is in the outdoor run. The reason that I am keeping this chick is that her mother is a great layer and hoping that she will be also. And besides I always go for the runts and weak and unwanteds, I'm just a softy that way
Knows me as the food and water lady but hasn't really gained my trust yet. Because of where I live I will be placing the run box with holly in outside of the main coop in my shed. I am adding a oil heater so that she and the bunny won't freeze this winter, if that plan goes wrong, I will do what I did last fall/winter and move the chick and bunny back into our woodshop that is joined to my house.
Again many thanks.

 

[dainerra]

there is also a good chance that she will NEVER be accepted. As someone said, a full-grown bird with an already established place in the hierarchy can sometimes survive. Most times, however, an injured bird doesn't stand a chance.

It's a natural instinct. A weak or injured animal in the flock will attract predators. Even more, chickens are pretty dang predatory in their own right. Put the 2 instincts together and they will turn into quite the cannibals.
Most likely, this little chick will have to spend all of her life alone.

 

[mikensara]

when we put our younger flock in with the 2 that were a month older that were given to us I left the rabbit cage in the coop so the younger ones could escape if they were being pecked on now they are one big happy flock family. they were 12 weeks old when i put them in with the 2 16 week olds.