Dog Attack/Lone Hen

[Whittehitt]

She's letting you have it.

My roosters do that when something has drawn their attention and they need to give a slight warning. Could be a Butterfly, bee, wild bird or even a Hawk. I think she's just sitting in her spot and warning you that she doesn't want to be disturbed. I've seen and heard similar to this from broody hens as well.



I could totally have it wrong though. I'd like @centrarchid to chime in with his observations. He been studying chickens for a lifetime and knows more about sounds, behaviors and chickens than I could ever hope to.

Oh also have a lead on some Turken hens! The lady selling them really cares about her birds so I feel comfortable buying from her, she also has Silkies and Polish hens but I'm reading that Polish are flighty and Silkies aren't really what I'm looking for as I'd love more eggs than they lay. She also has Silkie roos but I'm thinking I'd like to get Gretch some hens and get her comfy with them before adding a roo, I feel like that's too much change for her/she's never been around a roo before

 

[centrarchid]

She's letting you have it.

My roosters do that when something has drawn their attention and they need to give a slight warning. Could be a Butterfly, bee, wild bird or even a Hawk. I think she's just sitting in her spot and warning you that she doesn't want to be disturbed. I've seen and heard similar to this from broody hens as well.



I could totally have it wrong though. I'd like @centrarchid to chime in with his observations. He been studying chickens for a lifetime and knows more about sounds, behaviors and chickens than I could ever hope to.

Agreed, low intensity warning to stay away. She is effectively whispering "stay away".

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Oh also have a lead on some Turken hens! The lady selling them really cares about her birds so I feel comfortable buying from her, she also has Silkies and Polish hens but I'm reading that Polish are flighty and Silkies aren't really what I'm looking for as I'd love more eggs than they lay. She also has Silkie roos but I'm thinking I'd like to get Gretch some hens and get her comfy with them before adding a roo, I feel like that's too much change for her/she's never been around a roo before

Sounds promising!
How old are they?

I've never had Turkens so don't know a lot about them. Never had Silkies or Polish either but for me, I'm not a fan of feather footed chickens all I can envision is a clump of poop stuck to foot feathers.

A new rooster along with new hens would be very stressful, imho. Especially if she's never been around a rooster at all. I know it's nature, but a rooster totally changes the scene and of course the relationship you as the keeper has with the hens. Don't get me wrong, I love my roosters very much, but an all hen flock is very different from one that has a rooster.
It's going to be a transition for her just with losing her flock and adding new. Sometimes integration goes much more smoothly than you think it will. I always prepare for drama.

 

[Whittehitt]

Sounds promising!
How old are they?

I've never had Turkens so don't know a lot about them. Never had Silkies or Polish either but for me, I'm not a fan of feather footed chickens all I can envision is a clump of poop stuck to foot feathers.

A new rooster along with new hens would be very stressful, imho. Especially if she's never been around a rooster at all. I know it's nature, but a rooster totally changes the scene and of course the relationship you as the keeper has with the hens. Don't get me wrong, I love my roosters very much, but an all hen flock is very different from one that has a rooster.
It's going to be a transition for her just with losing her flock and adding new. Sometimes integration goes much more smoothly than you think it will. I always prepare for drama.

The Turkens are about 2 years old but they're socialized very well, which is something I really value next to egg production! Gotta be able to pick them up (to cuddle or just do a check up on easily). I had guineas for awhile and I could not imagine having a hurt guinea you need to care for and having to grab a hold of those bad boys . Other than that I have leads on Whiting True Blues (need to do more research), Barred Rocks (I think I want two of these), Copper Marans (don't think I want these guys), Orpingtons (broody too often). I'm thinking I'll get my girls settled and then look into adding a roo, I'm specifically looking into adding a Bielefelder rooster, I've never had a rooster before so I was looking for a breed known to be gentler and more docile. Hard to find young hens! Everyone is buying chicks right now since the farm stores have them so maybe in a few months people will be selling them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Getting older birds may be the way to go, hard to know.
Hopefully introductions will go smoothly.

 

[Whittehitt]

Getting older birds may be the way to go, hard to know.
Hopefully introductions will go smoothly.

Thank you! I'm also on the fence at the moment about buying her chicks, would that be helpful/would it stress her out and then be more work for me? We don't have electricity in the coop so they'd be inside until feathered. It's still in the 30s here too so they would be inside awhile. Gretchen has never been around chicks before (besides our feathered out guinea hens), she also has never been broody, she never really lays either. I actually read somewhere this morning I should probably be giving her chick starter and not layer feed? Especially since she hasn't laid an egg since the attack.

I'm only considering chicks because when I look for chickens people are always "getting rid of" their hens. I hate that wording. If someone is "rehoming" them I'm interested. I feel like the wording of the post can tell you a lot about the chickens themselves, how social they are, how much interaction they've gotten - I could be totally wrong but so far every person "rehoming" their hens has been so nice to talk to and knows so much about their birds. I've only had leads on the breeds above though unfortunately, I'd love more layer focused chickens.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Chicks will be more work for you at least until they come out of the brooder and can be housed outside.
As for integration, it could be a little easier, chicks have to establish themselves, so as an adult Gretchen would likely rank the highest. She will probably harass them for a while just because she can.
You'll want them to be old enough to get away from her and be able to somewhat hold their own, so I'd say they need to be 3 months old or so. A lot depends on your setup, how much space you have, etc. etc.
Integration can be tricky with adults, chicks, etc. Chickens will surprise you.