"Forgetting" a flock member within 36 hours???

[Noble Rooster]

I had to have one of my girls inside the house for 2 nights to be treated for a cracked beak. She did OK in the house but missed her pals, and I thought it would be better for flock solidarity if she wasn't separated from them for too long. I set her up in a dog crate next to the coop so everyone can see and hear each other but the injured girl can get peace and quiet since she's still a little under the weather from the injury. I let them out to free range together yesterday afternoon -- less than 48 hours from when I brought her into the house -- and everyone responded to her like she was a stranger. The dominant hen ran her off (she was originally #2 in the pecking order) and when she tried to return, nailed her on the open flesh of her beak (the cracked covering had just come off a few hours before). It was clearly quite painful and I immediately separated everyone again. The injured girl spent the night in the barn in her crate, and this morning I tried free ranging them together again. The dominant hen leapt on her right away, so I separated them and put the dominant girl back in the coop for a brief time-out (and boy did I get cursed out!

). The injured girl then decided that she had had enough of this crap and if any of the others looked at her sideways, she puffed out her feathers and made a velociraptor noise at them. Eventually she and the others were doing OK together (and they even submitted to her like before), so I brought the dominant girl back out and let them look at and be near each other but kept myself between them, and if the dominant one moved towards her I would back her away a few inches. Injured girl made more velociraptor noises and dominant girl was a bit surprised, but seemed to get the point. Everyone was then OK but I'm definitely going to supervise closely for a while longer, esp. while the injured girl's injury is still fresh.

I think it will be eventually be OK, but I was so surprised that they treated her that way when she hadn't been gone for very long at all! Has anyone else seen a flock "forget" another member so quickly?

 

[calicokat]

I don't think it's "forgetting" as much as it's that pecking order battle.

I had one inside for 2 days. She had been #3 of 10 when she came in. When she returned, the hen who had assumed #3 position, didn't want to give it up w/o a tussle. So there was some posturing and finally some chasing and pecking. But when the dust cleared, Marigold was back at #3 and Hazel had to settle for her regular #4 spot

 

[gryeyes]

Any time a flock member is removed from the flock, re-entry involves establishing a new pecking order hierarchy. I think even 24 hours is sufficient to cause this.

 

[Noble Rooster]

Wow, chicken politics are hardcore!

Thank you very much -- on observing them further this afternoon it seemed like that was what was going on.