Bullying chicken

[Stephanie6456]

Hi - I have three Pekin bantams -I got them 18 months ago. Until a few days ago all was well when upon returning home I found one of my ladies with a bloodied back and a large bare patch. I took her to the vets who believes her feathers had been broken/pulled out. He suggested bullying which I had never seen any sign of before .I separated her out to help with the healing and to make sure she didn’t come to any more harm. The patch is now healing and all redness has gone - so for a little while today I tried letting her out with the other two girls. Pretty quickly one was having a go at her (I have never seen any bullying before ?) I have separated her out again as am terrified she will get hurt. Any advise would be great ? What has caused the upset between the girls ? Should I continue to try and reintroduce her back in ? Best ways of doing this ?

 

[rosemarythyme]

When you separated her to let her heal did you keep her in sight of the others or away? If they could not see her she's essentially a newcomer in their eyes and will need to be reintegrated.

 

[Stephanie6456]

When you separated her to let her heal did you keep her in sight of the others or away? If they could not see her she's essentially a newcomer in their eyes and will need to be reintegrated.

 

[Stephanie6456]

Thank you rosemary and thyme - She has been kept away as I don’t have a second safe outdoor coop - I didn’t realise that could happen !!! How easy will it be to reintegrate??? Any tips or anyone with any experience of reintegrating ???

 

[rosemarythyme]

Provide her some safe space (a wire dog crate for example, or wire off a section of the run) in or next to the run so the other chickens can see her. Once they stop reacting negatively to her, you can start letting them mingle. I'd suggest having multiple feeders available as well as hiding places that she can use, to reduce aggression over food and space.

 

[Stephanie6456]

Thank you - I have a new coop and run coming in a few days (it’s a much larger one and was bought to replace their old one) so I will put her in that next to the other one - fingers crossed