Chicken PTSD after hawk attack

[mamahen16]

*update in #6*

My poor orphington was just about picked up by a hawk but I was in the right place and the right time and shooed him off. Ever since then she is skittish and the others pick on her. I've had her separated for 2 weeks and she's still scared. What do I do?

 

[birds4kids]

How separated?
The separation might be the stresser here. It is a chicken yes they have personality but they are also a small brained prey species. The sooner you let her return to a normal life the sooner she will return to normal.

 

[mamahen16]

Far separated. In another pen. I'll put her back tonight!

How separated?
The separation might be the stresser here. It is a chicken yes they have personality but they are also a small brained prey species. The sooner you let her return to a normal life the sooner she will return to normal.

 

[mamahen16]

Ack! I just shooed her over to where all the other chickens are and one hen ran at her then my super awesome rooster attacked her by jumping on her and pulling out a few pecks of neck feathers then chased her off. Which is what they were doing to her 2 weeks ago to make me take her away from them.

I could take a few of the other chickens that haven't been picking on her and they could all go in the other pen. But really I'd like them to all be together.

 

[waddles99]

Put her in a separate cage in the chicken run. Chickens have such a small memory span that they forget their pecking order when she is taken out for a while, so you have to reestablish her back in the flock.

 

[mamahen16]

So my poor orphington is still not functional yet. She stays on the roost all the time. I had to rig up something to get her food and water. What do I do?

 

[pattyhen]

Can you put a couple of chickens with her who are not agressive? I would give her treats and talk to her.

 

[waddles99]

So my poor orphington is still not functional yet. She stays on the roost all the time. I had to rig up something to get her food and water. What do I do?

Is she injured or is she just traumatized? It isn't healthy to have her isolated from the flock. I would remove the roost and she'll go back to her normal self.

 

[mamahen16]

Is she injured or is she just traumatized? It isn't healthy to have her isolated from the flock. I would remove the roost and she'll go back to her normal self.

No she isn't injured. She had a few feathers missing and did have some scratches but nothing major. She is in with the rest of the flock now and has been for the past 6 days. But they're still presumably picking on her enough that she flees up to the roost all day. I can't take the roost out because its part of the structure. Tonight I'll take her and a couple of the other super docile ones and put them in the chicken tractor. that way she's at least not isolated but is away from the main flock. There has never been anything like this ever in my flock. theres 16 of them, 2 are roosters, and they all just live happily together. Or at least they did until the hawk attack.

 

[pattyhen]

She is probably not eatting or drinking enough sitting on the roost all day. Maybe if she starts eating and socializing with the nonagressive chickens she will get her strength back up and be able to cope with the chickens in the coop that are picking on her. The pecking order is cruel and I feel like she is giving up. I hope she perks up please let us know how she does.