Curious: Can a disabled hen live on her own?

[PanchitoChick]

Hi friends!!

I have a very small, weak hen that I recently rescued. She’s only two pounds but supposed to be a Brahma mix! I took her in about a week ago to keep her from being euthanized, she has healing wounds from a dog attack that happened before the shelter, and she’s overall just very timid and traumatized. She has a permanent limp that is only apparent when she’s moving quickly, but may never fully heal. She’s making rapid improvement (yay!) but I’m worried that the normal pecking order behavior from my other two hens will be too much for her and she will just shut down completely and be miserable. I have given them supervised introduction a few times and she always gets pecked (no blood or feather pulling).

Would she be happy if she lived in her own run next to the others? Or is that depriving her of companionship even though she really doesn’t like the other hens much and hides when they come near? I think she’s just a very sensitive girl.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have given them supervised introduction a few times and she always gets pecked (no blood or feather pulling).

How did you go about the introduction? The best way to do any introduction is a see-but-no-touch method where the new hen can’t be pecked and has her own food and water. Once you have had a week or two of this and the hens aren’t reacting to the new one you can try letting her out with them.

 

[NatJ]

Would she be happy if she lived in her own run next to the others? Or is that depriving her of companionship even though she really doesn’t like the other hens much and hides when they come near? I think she’s just a very sensitive girl.

You will not know for sure unless you try it.

Side-by-side pens is a great first step for integration (they get to know each other but cannot peck or injure each other.) Or it can be a good way to a chicken to live alone (safe) but not quite alone (less lonely, because there are other chickens right over there.)

So I would probably put her in a run next to the others, watch how things go for a few weeks, and then decide whether to try for a full integration or whether to have them keep living in their separate spaces beside each other.

 

[PanchitoChick]

How did you go about the introduction? The best way to do any introduction is a see-but-no-touch method where the new hen can’t be pecked and has her own food and water. Once you have had a week or two of this and the hens aren’t reacting to the new one you can try letting her out with them.

I had them out to free-range together after a few days separated and was scattering some feed so I could see how they interact. But I’m new to chickens to good to know that that probably wasn’t enough time!!!

They are in runs that are next to each other where they can see each other all the time. The difficulty seems to be that the other hens don’t react to her at all when she’s far enough away, the only time she got pecked was when she would get in the way of one of the bigger hens, but they did chase her and corner her once or twice pecking at her comb and I didn’t like that. I’m wondering if due to her size, she may not integrate with them? I have plenty of space to happy to explore whatever solution! She is a good 2 or 3 pounds smaller than the others so I wonder if she needs a separate run/coop and a bantam friend? But would love to hear your thoughts!!!

 

[PanchitoChick]

You will not know for sure unless you try it.

Side-by-side pens is a great first step for integration (they get to know each other but cannot peck or injure each other.) Or it can be a good way to a chicken to live alone (safe) but not quite alone (less lonely, because there are other chickens right over there.)

So I would probably put her in a run next to the others, watch how things go for a few weeks, and then decide whether to try for a full integration or whether to have them keep living in their separate spaces beside each other.

I think this is the way to go! She gets quite anxious to share a coop with the big hens at night (she just has a temporary little one and I don’t think she likes it), maybe this is dumb but should I put like, a stuffed animal in there with her at night? She’s quite cuddly!

 

[NatJ]

I think this is the way to go! She gets quite anxious to share a coop with the big hens at night (she just has a temporary little one and I don’t think she likes it), maybe this is dumb but should I put like, a stuffed animal in there with her at night? She’s quite cuddly!

You certainly could try it. I don't know if it will help or not, but I would not expect it to cause problems.

Or you could try putting her in with the big hens at night, and see what happens. Be ready to let her out first thing in the morning, maybe before sunup, in case they get mean when they can see again.

A few pecks are not a big deal, just part of the normal way to establish the pecking order. You do want to avoid any serious injuries.

I had them out to free-range together after a few days separated and was scattering some feed so I could see how they interact. But I’m new to chickens to good to know that that probably wasn’t enough time!!!

More space always helps. So letting them out to free range together was a good idea. That meant she had space to run away or avoid interacting with them, if needed.

They are in runs that are next to each other where they can see each other all the time. The difficulty seems to be that the other hens don’t react to her at all when she’s far enough away, the only time she got pecked was when she would get in the way of one of the bigger hens

That sounds fairly normal. Stranger not causing trouble? No reaction. Stranger in my personal space? Peck peck.

If they keep living next to each other, and free ranging together, there is a good chance that she will eventually become part of the flock, and not have to stay away. But it can take a while, and there will probably be quite a few times that she tests how close she can get and gets warned to back off.

...but they did chase her and corner her once or twice pecking at her comb and I didn’t like that.

Some amount of pecking is normal. If her comb wasn't bleeding, then the pecks are not a big deal. But I would be a bit concerned about the cornering, because then she can't run away if it does get worse.

I’m wondering if due to her size, she may not integrate with them? I have plenty of space to happy to explore whatever solution! She is a good 2 or 3 pounds smaller than the others so I wonder if she needs a separate run/coop and a bantam friend? But would love to hear your thoughts!!!

I would not expect her size to be a big problem, but I can't say whether her temperament and theirs will work or not. Chickens don't seem to be too concerned about how big they are, more about how they act.

Overall, I'm just not sure whether she will end up having to live separately, or whether she can become part of the flock. But it sounds like you have a setup where you can try different things and figure out which one does work

 

[NatJ]

I took her in about a week ago to keep her from being euthanized, she has healing wounds from a dog attack that happened before the shelter, and she’s overall just very timid and traumatized. She has a permanent limp that is only apparent when she’s moving quickly, but may never fully heal.

I just re-read this bit.

Things may be different when she is fully healed. While she is still recovering, it may be better to just keep her separate.

She’s only two pounds but supposed to be a Brahma mix!

Brahmas come in two sizes, standard (big) and bantam. So the "Brahma" in the mix might be the bantam size rather than the large size.

 

[PanchitoChick]

I just re-read this bit.

Things may be different when she is fully healed. While she is still recovering, it may be better to just keep her separate.


Brahmas come in two sizes, standard (big) and bantam. So the "Brahma" in the mix might be the bantam size rather than the large size.

Oh that is so good to know!!! I only ever knew about the big size, she must be the “mini”. I was saying to another commenter that if she doesn’t integrate when she is healed maybe I’ll start a separate run/coop and get her a bantam friend!

 

[PanchitoChick]

You certainly could try it. I don't know if it will help or not, but I would not expect it to cause problems.

Or you could try putting her in with the big hens at night, and see what happens. Be ready to let her out first thing in the morning, maybe before sunup, in case they get mean when they can see again.

A few pecks are not a big deal, just part of the normal way to establish the pecking order. You do want to avoid any serious injuries.


More space always helps. So letting them out to free range together was a good idea. That meant she had space to run away or avoid interacting with them, if needed.


That sounds fairly normal. Stranger not causing trouble? No reaction. Stranger in my personal space? Peck peck.

If they keep living next to each other, and free ranging together, there is a good chance that she will eventually become part of the flock, and not have to stay away. But it can take a while, and there will probably be quite a few times that she tests how close she can get and gets warned to back off.


Some amount of pecking is normal. If her comb wasn't bleeding, then the pecks are not a big deal. But I would be a bit concerned about the cornering, because then she can't run away if it does get worse.


I would not expect her size to be a big problem, but I can't say whether her temperament and theirs will work or not. Chickens don't seem to be too concerned about how big they are, more about how they act.

Overall, I'm just not sure whether she will end up having to live separately, or whether she can become part of the flock. But it sounds like you have a setup where you can try different things and figure out which one does work

Thank you so much! I don’t know anyone else who has chickens so it’s so nice to ask questions to experienced tenders!

 

[MROO]

Thank you so much! I don’t know anyone else who has chickens so it’s so nice to ask questions to experienced tenders!

That's the BEST thing about BYC. There's always someone here to help! And don't worry, it won't be long before you're offering to share what you've learned with another newbie. It's pretty cool!
And ... I agree with the side-by-side run approach for introduction. After at least two weeks, put the calmer (lower) of the two hens in with your rescue for a week or two. Once they're peacefully coexisting, add your dominant hen back in. It's a long, drawn out process, but slower is safer and gives you a better shot at lasting peace!