Help me please---I am very upset!!

[TheOldHen]

Try and make a long story short: Had 4 chicks, one died at 4 days. Contacted a farmer out of town and bought a new baby hen---well the hen turned out to be a rooster. Living in the city, I can only have 4 hens--so she said she will bring me a hen from the same hatching. I have a small two story hen house with a ladder going out to the bottom level (outside area under coup) When she introduced the new hen there was some picking on her but nothing really bad. A little later they went down stairs and they really got to her. Poor thing just buried her little head in the pine shavings. That was Thursday afternoon. Now she stays far away from the other 3 hens. Every time she trys to come down for a treat, the one hen will go at her and back into the nesting box, with her head buried in the corner of it. All the hens are about 16 weeks old. I do let them free range, but was told to keep the gate closed for a few days until the new one knows her way around. We since Thursday, she have not gone down. It is making very upset and sad. Anything I can do to help her? My hubby is about to send me to a shrink over these chickens, so I need help!!!!

 

[jerseygirl1]

New chickens need to be introduced over a period of time - deifinitely more than a few days - you need to first isolate the newbie for at least 30 days to be sure she isn't going to pass any diseases to your existing birds. Best thing and this is what I do is to pen the new one in the coop where the others can see her and not get near her. It's just like introducing a +98new
3dog to an excisting dog - you can't put them together and expect everyone to get along instantaneously - it takes time

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If you can fence off a little area with one of the old hens in it, and put the newcomer in too, they will get to know each other.

When you let the two hens rejoin the group, the new hen will have a friend. You might have to leave them in the little yard for a couple of weeks (just during the day since it sounds like you only have one coop). They should all still be able to sleep together in the same coop at night.

You would only need some chicken wire if you normally free range anyway. (And put food and water in for the two hens in the enclosure.) They would also need shade/protection from elements during day. A tarp would work in most instances. If severe weather, changes might be needed.

 

[elbertchick]

Is she 16 weeks as well? I tried to put my EEs in with the my 4 month old GLW and SLWs it did not go well. The same thing happened. They would not let them eat or come out of the corner the poor things would huddle together in the cornor with their little faces facing the cornor. So I took them out. I am fortunate enough to have a little coop, sounds much like yours. My other girls are in another coop. I am going to fatten them up and seperate them for awhile longer. We free range during the day in a large area. so I am going to seperate them by a tempory fence so they see each other during the day and pray they will eventually ignore the EEs, they are a month younger. I will pull up a chair at the fence line and give treats at the same time and see if that will work. These are all ideas I have learned from this site. Meantime do you have a wire dog kennel? you could put her in something like that next to the coop and let them get used to her and she them. Don't give up, give her lots of love and try again. That is what I am doing and keep us up to date as will I

 

[TheOldHen]

Thank you. My coup is only about 5' x 5'. I can't put the new hen in a section to keep her separate, way to small. I will try tomorrow to let her and a nice hen in a section that is fenced off for a part of the day and hope they will become friends over time. They will all have to sleep in the same coup thro, no other place to put her.
I have to admit, i was surprised when the farmer just let her in there with only about 1 hour of prep.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
The hen that you remove will become lower in the pecking order when reintroduced, but this probably will only be a temporary effect. That will assist the new hen, in that she will be the lowest, but have another "low-in-the-peck-order" friend.