Chicken on the mend

[HOAbdamd]

Howdy BYC,

My wife and I have brought back "Big Momma" from the brink of death after one of our boxers got at her. She is an Ameraucana. She lost most of her scalp and is almost healed. Introducing her to the flock has not gone to well. The other hens (no rooster), have been fairly aggressive since the quarantine. Her feathers are just now coming back in (about a month), but there still are bare spots. Any ideas on reintroduction?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

I am glad to hear you were able to get her all healed up!!

The way to reintroduce a bird back to the flock is to put her in a cage or enclosure within the run and coop and keep her this way for 3 or 4 weeks. Everybody sees, nobody touches. Since she was gone long enough, she is seen as a brand new bird and flocks don't care for new additions. So let them all see her for several weeks and the introduction in a month should go smoother. She will no doubt be at the bottom of the order, even if she was near the top before. Put out some extra food and water dishes too so she doesn't have to compete. They can starve her out if they are aggressive enough.

If you still have one very aggressive bird, you may have to cage her for a week or so and sometimes complete isolation is needed. This will knock her down a few notches as well. Pinless Peepers are always an option too. I have used them with great success however these should be used as a last resort.

Good luck and I hope you can get her worked back into the flock!!

 

[familyfarm1]

So glad you joined! Sorry to hear about Big Momma. Here is a great article that can help you with your problems: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock . Hope she turns out alright!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[HOAbdamd]

Thank you for your speedy response. We will try that starting today.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

 

[Book Em Danno25]

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC!