Flock won’t accept healed birds back

[pharrison4659]

I did the math and accordingly you should be fine... but it is only a rule of thumb. It also depends on the birds you have, and perhaps on how it is set up.

Once you get something going like this, it can be very difficult to stop that behavior. So I understand that mathematically you have enough space, but if the 13 are now getting along, they are telling you that you don't. Sometimes you have to listen to the birds.

Are the other birds full size birds? Because often silkies do not work with them.

Mrs K

 

[libertree]

I have a severely bullied hen also. Trying to reintroduce her got her bullied again. I have decided to move her permanently but need to know how best to give her one or two companions. Will a hen normally accept chicks if she has not been broody? She is a sexlink red and is very sweet. She i try to find another adult or two instead?

 

[Mrs. K]

Libertree - I would not expect a red sex link chicken who was not broody to accept chicks. Often times the lowest bird in the pecking order is the meanest to chicks or new birds.

Adding a single bird back to a group, seldom works. What might work, is to take a middle bird from the flock, and add her to the victim. They will probably have a dust up, but it is one on one, and it should soon settle. Leave them together for a week.

This is a lot of fiddling around, but it can help. Then take the original flock, if you don't have too many and put them in the small pen, and let the victim and new partner into the old set up for the day. Then let everyone go to the coop that night, but do it just before dark.

Or you can add the pair back to the flock, and watch, pulling the first and second bird, and maybe the third bird that attacks, and put them where you had the pair. If the 4th bird and so on attacks, leave them with pair, maybe breaking it up with a squirt gun. But try and let them work it out as much as possible.

A week later, add the original meanies back into the flock and watch carefully. You may want to get some pin less peepers. Many people with this issue with a small flock swear by these.

Do have multiple feeders placed so a bird eating in one spot cannot see birds eating in another, hideouts, and get aways set up in the run. Pallets, up on blocks, leaned against a wall, saw horses, ladders - places birds can get out of sight from each other can really help. I call it clutter, it will look more cluttered to you, but actually uses a lot more of the vertical space and more interesting to birds.

A lot of fiddling around, but usually works.

Mrs K

 

[pharrison4659]

So.. fully healed hen passed. I’m not sure if from internal infection or egg bound because she went about a week and half not laying eggs where as she laid normally every day. Now I have a lone silkie rooster in a small coop. I have a large coop containing 13 hens and one rooster. I have one silkie hen in the large coop, would it be beneficial to move the silkie hen in with my silkie roo? I just hate to take her from the flock but he’s all alone.

 

[0die]

unless you gotta farm with lots of roaming space...1 rooster max.

the hen just likely got pecked to death by the other hens. Even healed she is the runt of the group. That's what happened to mine. Not even putting the bully hen in isolation for a couple weeks helped.

 

[pharrison4659]

unless you gotta farm with lots of roaming space...1 rooster max.

the hen just likely got pecked to death by the other hens. Even healed she is the runt of the group. That's what happened to mine. Not even putting the bully hen in isolation for a couple weeks helped.

I just decided to keep my silkies in a small coop..