Fighting in estabiahed flock

[Nystrjjr]

So I have six hens and while I was out of town cane home to one of them having a patch of feathers missing on her back close to her tail. So I separated her as the skin was very lightly bleeding in a couple spots. I kept her away for a few days and put her back in yesterday. The other hens ganged up on her and in fact they started flying, claes and all. She avoided them for the day in the run and a couple minor spats. This morning that same spot looked like an abrasion and she was limping a bit so I have taken her out again,cleaned her wound and she is now not with the rest of the flock. Once it heals I object to put her back in and want to avoid the combat. I don't know why all of sudden she is the target or what I should do after she heals?

 

[SulkyBantam]

Strange. Do you know her pecking order position? Could she be ill? Does she look different to the others?

 

[sourland]

Whenever a bird is removed from the flock it is regarded as a 'stranger' upon reintroduction and has to regain its position in the pecking order. Once her feathers have regrown introduce the most mellow flock mate to her in her pen. Gradually add birds over a period of days until all have been integrated. There will still be fighting, but hopefully with the numbers more in her favor she will be able to hold her own.

 

[aart]

So I have six hens and while I was out of town cane home to one of them having a patch of feathers missing on her back close to her tail.

How long were you gone?
How old, in weeks or months?
How big is coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I kept her away for a few days and put her back in yesterday.

Did you keep her in the same area as the others or did you remove her entirely? If she was removed she needs to be reintegrated as if she was a new bird, as sourland noted above.

I'd suggest for any future illness/injuries you look into ways of providing medical care within the coop or run, to ease or even eliminate the need to reintegrate. Like I had a pullet that was in an isolation unit, but kept in the run with the others, for 6 weeks for medical treatment - at the end of the period I simply opened the door and she rejoined the others with almost no fuss.