Egg-bound chicken?

[Wyorp Rock]

Wanted to give you an update on Rosie. I put her back in the outside coop today after being in ‘chicken intensive care’ for several weeks. I have her separated from the other chickens so she can become accepted again. I’m not sure how this is going to go. My other Rhode Island Red even tried to attack her through the wire that was separating them. She is so much smaller than the other hens and although she is eating and drinking and acting ‘almost’ like her old self, her cone is still paler than the others and I don’t think she’s at 100%. However, I felt I couldn’t keep her in the garage coop any longer and it was time to be back outside and just watched, closely. Hoping for the best, but still concerned.

I'm glad to hear that she has recovered enough for you to take the next step of re-integration.

It may take a good while and some patience to get her back into the flock. There's always a possibility that she may never be accepted, but all you can do is take one day at a time and hope for the best.

If you have space and time, letting them all out together with you monitoring them closely may or may not work. Chickens are hard to figure out at times.

You may want to read the article that @azygous wrote about integrating a single hen. There may be some tips in there for you. http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock

I hope everything goes smoothly and she is back with the others in no time.
Thank you for the update and please let us know how it goes.

 

[Georgiachick18]

I slowly integrated her back into the coop over the last couple of days. The chickens seem to have accepted her. However, I see that she is not strong enough to jump up onto the coop ladder. Not sure what to do now. She seems normal and otherwise; eating drinking, walking around, most of the color back to her cone.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I slowly integrated her back into the coop over the last couple of days. The chickens seem to have accepted her. However, I see that she is not strong enough to jump up onto the coop ladder. Not sure what to do now. She seems normal and otherwise; eating drinking, walking around, most of the color back to her cone.

How high is your lowest rung on the ladder?
You can try making a low perch for her, she will stay much cleaner that way if she can roost.
A lot depends on your set-up and of course how much time you have as well. If she is able to roost and just can't get up the rungs, you can also place her on the roost each night, then first thing take her down so she's not jumping and hurting herself. This would be in hopes as she gains strength she will be able to do all this herself eventually.

I had one girl with a reproductive problem, started out she could get up on the roosting bars, but I was really afraid she would rupture something by jumping down - so I started taking her down every morning. She ended up where she could only get up one rung, but desperately wanted higher with her sister, so every night when I locked up, I would put her on the higher roost. Still every morning, I would take her down. I did this for months before she needed to be put down. It was all worth it, I got to snuggle her each morning for just a minute or two

If that is not doable, then watch where she beds down each night, clean the poop up in that area daily and add a thick layer of bedding for her to bed down into. I'm not sure how cold you get.

Just some ideas.

 

[Georgiachick18]

Excellent suggestions! I guess I’ll try to put her in with the others tonight. She’s obviously weaker, so praying that they won’t hurt her. Our rooster jumped on her back —and I had to separate them. She definitely can’t take any of that! I’m attaching a photo of her. She’s keeping her distance from everyone though pecking around, drinking and eating. Doing the best I can but still feel bad for the poor girl. Just wondering if I should continue to keep her separated? I don’t know.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She is still not feeling very well
If she were mine, I would probably let her be with the others, but take her from the roost in the morning, then probably cage her inside the run, especially since you have a rooster. She doesn't need his attentions at the moment. She may also feel more secure in the cage as well.

 

[Georgiachick18]

Today, I kept her in the adjacent infirmary coupe —which is quite large—and she seemed to do well alone, just seeing the others through the screen. Tonight (again) she is sleeping in a large wire crate, with plenty of fresh hay, water, feed and a treat or two. She didn’t want to stay on the lower roost and preferred to sit in the hay. I covered the crate with heavy blankets— though it’s not cold here yet. She seems quite content and you can tell she feels much safer that way. Day at a time. Thank you so much for all your good advice along this journey and for your kind words.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Today, I kept her in the adjacent infirmary coupe —which is quite large—and she seemed to do well alone, just seeing the others through the screen. Tonight (again) she is sleeping in a large wire crate, with plenty of fresh hay, water, feed and a treat or two. She didn’t want to stay on the lower roost and preferred to sit in the hay. I covered the crate with heavy blankets— though it’s not cold here yet. She seems quite content and you can tell she feels much safer that way. Day at a time. Thank you so much for all your good advice along this journey and for your kind words.

You're right, sometimes it just one day at a time. Sometimes when they are like this, they do seem to like being by themselves or have 1 buddy.

 

[Georgiachick18]

It’s dropping down into the 30s tonight so I wanted her to be in the big coop with the rest of the crew. I’m trying something that I hope will work. I’ve put her in a large dog crate with plenty of food, water and hay, inside the coop with the others. That way she’ll be in a warmer area surrounded by the others but not able to be picked on. I’m not worried about the chickens —I’m just worried about the rooster at night. I hope she will feel cozy and not stressed with this arrangement.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It’s dropping down into the 30s tonight so I wanted her to be in the big coop with the rest of the crew. I’m trying something that I hope will work. I’ve put her in a large dog crate with plenty of food, water and hay, inside the coop with the others. That way she’ll be in a warmer area surrounded by the others but not able to be picked on. I’m not worried about the chickens —I’m just worried about the rooster at night. I hope she will feel cozy and not stressed with this arrangement.

Sounds good!

 

[micstrachan]

It’s dropping down into the 30s tonight so I wanted her to be in the big coop with the rest of the crew. I’m trying something that I hope will work. I’ve put her in a large dog crate with plenty of food, water and hay, inside the coop with the others. That way she’ll be in a warmer area surrounded by the others but not able to be picked on. I’m not worried about the chickens —I’m just worried about the rooster at night. I hope she will feel cozy and not stressed with this arrangement.

Good move! I hope she feels better soon.