Extreme bullied Pullet now panicking and hiding from the flock

[Chickmama0509]

HELP Please!!! I have a Pullet (hatched in April) we introduced her and 3 other pullets into our flock of 7. We took it slow by cornering off an area for them to be in with the older hens but safely away from interacting. After 2 weeks we started to let them interact, and stay with them in the roost at night. Everything was going great.

Then on Monday the runt(we call her the nervous nelly) was attacked to the point her comb was a bloody mess. I doctored her up kept her alone for 2 days to heal. Then yesterday tried to put her back in with the other girls. There are 3 hens who went right on the attack. They are currently in chicken jail. But this little Pullet just continues to hide. I keep checking on her and it looks like she’s dead but isn’t. She’s more calm when I’m in there or when she comes on to the back porch with us. The pullets are just a little smaller than our hens. But maybe we did it too soon.

She’s in training to be a therapy chicken so she’s been handled A LOT. I want her to socialize with the other girls. She panics and hides as soon as we walk away.

Our coop and roost is built to home 20 chickens, we have a total of 11 (including Sami who’s a Salmon Faverolle that’s a traumatized girl, I know it’s spelt wrong lol).

If anyone has any suggestions I’d greatly appreciate it. Culling her or other chickens isn’t an option. We can have space to separate in the run but the coop would be challenging. Can anyone extend some wisdom??

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

HELP Please!!! I have a Pullet (hatched in April) we introduced her and 3 other pullets into our flock of 7. We took it slow by cornering off an area for them to be in with the older hens but safely away from interacting. After 2 weeks we started to let them interact, and stay with them in the roost at night. Everything was going great.

Then on Monday the runt(we call her the nervous nelly) was attacked to the point her comb was a bloody mess. I doctored her up kept her alone for 2 days to heal. Then yesterday tried to put her back in with the other girls. There are 3 hens who went right on the attack. They are currently in chicken jail. But this little Pullet just continues to hide. I keep checking on her and it looks like she’s dead but isn’t. She’s more calm when I’m in there or when she comes on to the back porch with us. The pullets are just a little smaller than our hens. But maybe we did it too soon.

She’s in training to be a therapy chicken so she’s been handled A LOT. I want her to socialize with the other girls. She panics and hides as soon as we walk away.

Our coop and roost is built to home 20 chickens, we have a total of 11 (including Sami who’s a Salmon Faverolle that’s a traumatized girl, I know it’s spelt wrong lol).

If anyone has any suggestions I’d greatly appreciate it. Culling her or other chickens isn’t an option. We can have space to separate in the run but the coop would be challenging. Can anyone extend some wisdom??

Hello, I’m sorry that your hen is going through that.
I would suggest removing her from the flock as it seems like she is stressed out. g is her some time to get over the shock she got from being attacked.
I would try and get her at least one friend, I have done this before where I took the bullied chicken and put her together with one other chicken with the same personality and about same age in another coop,until they were close so that when she goes into the coop she isn’t alone and hopefully have gained some confidence
Was she the only new hen who you put into the coop?
Also make sure her wound is completely healed because if chickens see blood they will peck at it and that will probably make her more nervous and stressed
Good luck

 

[chickeyumass]

HELP Please!!! I have a Pullet (hatched in April) we introduced her and 3 other pullets into our flock of 7. We took it slow by cornering off an area for them to be in with the older hens but safely away from interacting. After 2 weeks we started to let them interact, and stay with them in the roost at night. Everything was going great.

Then on Monday the runt(we call her the nervous nelly) was attacked to the point her comb was a bloody mess. I doctored her up kept her alone for 2 days to heal. Then yesterday tried to put her back in with the other girls. There are 3 hens who went right on the attack. They are currently in chicken jail. But this little Pullet just continues to hide. I keep checking on her and it looks like she’s dead but isn’t. She’s more calm when I’m in there or when she comes on to the back porch with us. The pullets are just a little smaller than our hens. But maybe we did it too soon.

She’s in training to be a therapy chicken so she’s been handled A LOT. I want her to socialize with the other girls. She panics and hides as soon as we walk away.

Our coop and roost is built to home 20 chickens, we have a total of 11 (including Sami who’s a Salmon Faverolle that’s a traumatized girl, I know it’s spelt wrong lol).

If anyone has any suggestions I’d greatly appreciate it. Culling her or other chickens isn’t an option. We can have space to separate in the run but the coop would be challenging. Can anyone extend some wisdom??

The poor bird. I am no expert, but am now introducing a 2 month old pullet to just four 3 month old birds. One of the older gals is always on the attack, even trying to peck the newb through the cage within their run. I integration is at a snail's pace, but I am being patient. My buff orpington is the sweetest and is friendly with new bird. I let the two out together and keep the "mean birds" in coop for a while each day. You might try something similar until Nelly gets some confidence back.

 

[Chickmama0509]

T

Hello, I’m sorry that your hen is going through that.
I would suggest removing her from the flock as it seems like she is stressed out. g is her some time to get over the shock she got from being attacked.
I would try and get her at least one friend, I have done this before where I took the bullied chicken and put her together with one other chicken with the same personality and about same age in another coop,until they were close so that when she goes into the coop she isn’t alone and hopefully have gained some confidence
Was she the only new hen who you put into the coop?
Also make sure her wound is completely healed because if chickens see blood they will peck at it and that will probably make her more nervous and stressed
Good luck

Thank you! I being such a newbie at this never knew that about chickens with blood. I pulled her again bc it wasn’t fully healed they pecked her and it opened up again. She’s out now. She went in with 3 others her same age. I’ll pull Mazy to be with her she’s calm. This has been helpful.

 

[Chickmama0509]

The poor bird. I am no expert, but am now introducing a 2 month old pullet to just four 3 month old birds. One of the older gals is always on the attack, even trying to peck the newb through the cage within their run. I integration is at a snail's pace, but I am being patient. My buff orpington is the sweetest and is friendly with new bird. I let the two out together and keep the "mean birds" in coop for a while each day. You might try something similar until Nelly gets some confidence back.

Yes that’s a good idea! I’ll do that when I start to bring her back in. Thank you!!!

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I am unsure of what you could do in this situation, but isolating her away from the flock where she can't see them is not good, because if the flock members cannot see her, they become accustomed to not having her in their pecking order. Therefore, when she gets let out again and they can see her, they will bully her even more to determine her new place in the hierarchy.

The other chickens will never stop bullying her because each peck they get on another lets them climb higher in the pecking order, as well as a chicken's favorite smell and taste is blood. I believe it would be best to get your pullet a friend in a separate pen so she could have company, without having to worry about being beaten.

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

T

Thank you! I being such a newbie at this never knew that about chickens with blood. I pulled her again bc it wasn’t fully healed they pecked her and it opened up again. She’s out now. She went in with 3 others her same age. I’ll pull Mazy to be with her she’s calm. This has been helpful.

Great idea to give her a friend, if you have a pen close to your mane coop put them in that coop so they can get more used to each other and so they don’t forget her so that when you decide to put her back into the flock the whole thing will start over again if you put her clise and do the see but don’t touch technique there is hope that she will eventually rejoin the flock

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I've only had 1 case of extreme bullying & she was a rescue. I had rescued 11 hens & pullets, & one young Roo, all from the same place. Well, they were all quite traumatized, but 1 in particular had been plucked so bald, I didn't even know what color she was. When I got them home, I cleaned them up. They loved spa day in my bathroom, oatmeal Lavender shampoo & sitting on cushy towels as I dried them with the hair dryer, they relaxed, now mite free & with Neosporin dabbed on any boo boos, they even preened & stared at themselves in the mirror. Well, the naked one was a total spaz, & I had to tend to her separately. Once I got everyone clean, dry & calm, I introduced them to their new loft & pen, & they made themselves at home. My little spaz on the other hand, was so afraid, all she did was hide & cower under anything she could get herself under. So, I set her up in the house, in a 2x4 cage. It took some time for her to come around. After a week, she'd let me pet her & she'd eat treats from my hand. Her feathers grew in, she was a lovely, little, pure black EE, so I called her Pepper Sprout. I did start bringing her to the chicken's pen, where I had a large cage/gazebo inside, so she could spend a few hours getting sunshine, eat fresh chickweed, or dustbathe in the shade & have the other chickens get used to her, while being safe. Meanwhile, in the coop, pecking order had determined a wimpy hen & they were not being very nice to the Baby Roo, he was the youngest of the whole group. So, when I saw some pecking & blood, I had to remove those 2. Well, now Pepper would have 2 buddies. I set them all up in the same room, usually used for raising chicks, it's about 6x8. At 1st, Pepper was frantic, then she began ripping out their feathers! So I had to put her back in the cage, but in that room with them. It took time for her to calm down in the presence of other chickens. They do remember when they were beat up! After a week I began letting her out into the entire room & I watched them get along. Then I began taking the trio out to the chicken pen to dustbathe & hang out, But, I have these 5 foot octagon gazebos in the pens, so I am able to have chickens meet & hang out together, but not be able to peck eachother, so I set up the food & water & perch inside there where the trio hung out. After a week, I simply opened the gazebo door, and this was about an hour before dusk, when everyone is winding down & calm. The trio mosied out to the pen, scratching & pecking, and no one even bothered them at all. They were already used to them being there inside the safety of the gazebo. So, that is what I try to copy whenever I add or move chickens around. Separate them if healing time is needed, there should never be any bloody or big scabby spots as they draw attention. Once healed I may spray BluKote on a bald spot or a strong scab spot (not a raw spot though) because any bald or red area arouses curiosity & pecking, the blue color somehow makes any sore spot become invisible, plus it's got some healing ingredients. While they're separared, try to notice who is the latest low pecking order chicken & pull that bird to be set up in a cage right next to the original separated one, so they can bond. When the time is right, after those 2 are buddies, reintroduce them to the flock but do it safely, in a large cage, so no one can peck at them. After some time (days or a week), open the cage door while you supervise. An occasional peck or a jump & ninja kick may be seen, but usually stops at that. There will be pecking order displays, it's what they do. Most times, there is no ongoing sparring or blood. I only intervene if I see ongoing bullying, attacking, ganging up, obvious fighting that isn't stopping, or blood or lots of feathers flying. The slow introduction method usually works, I guess I'd say 98% of the time. Once in a blue moon, one chicken just cannot stand another one, usually Roosters, but it did happen with 1 of my hens. I had to totally move her to a more wimpy group, & she ended up being Queen with them. Oh, You'll know if it happens, but it is not often thank goodness. Or you'll end up building a 2nd coop. Like I did.

Here's a pic of a Gazebo with the door open. Can't really get these anymore, prices are outrageous now. But any outside type cage will work, preferably with a cover over top for shade & if it rains. There are various similar dog cages like this available. I bought it originally because I received my 1st chickens & had no coop built yet, so the Gazebo was an instant easily moved "tractor" while we built coop & predator proof pens. Now, I have a Gazebo in each pen, the chickens love hanging out in them. Some even sleep in them when it's July 99 degree heat. You can build something on your own too, a friend remodeled a new dog house, another bought a large rabbit hutch, whatever works.

 

[AntiqueB]

I remember reading a post similar to what @Liz Birdlover did. The theory was that the bullied chicken needed time and space to gain confidence in themselves. It worked in that instance, too.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I remember reading a post similar to what @Liz Birdlover did. The theory was that the bullied chicken needed time and space to gain confidence in themselves. It worked in that instance, too.

Yes, & never put a chicken with a bloody raw spot or fresh scab in with them, let it heal 1st & any healed but still naked, spray with BluKote