HELP please, there going to kill her???

[av8ersteve]

Hello all. I have 2 Dominiques and 2 golden comets that I bought last February as chicks (5 days old or so)and they have been raised together. On Christmas Day, I found one of my comets in BAD shape. Don't know what happened, but her top comb was tore up bad, and her left eye was gone. I brought her in the house to take care of her but 2 weeks into her recovery, I just knew it was all over for her. She would not eat, barely drank anything, and laid in one spot constantly. But,,, last week she started eating, and now she is back to her old self, (other than being blind in one eye). She actually laid her first egg TODAY, in the house so she is good now. Here is the problem, when I put her with the other chickens, (that she was raised with) EVERYONE of them jump her, hold her down, and viciously peck at her head! Even when she gets away, they chase her all over the yard until they have her back on the ground trying to kill her. WHAT THE HECK? What can I do, and why are they doing this? Are they the ones that caused her injuries in the beginning? Thanks for any help.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens are vicious unfortunately. When you removed her they pretty much forgot about her. She is now an intruder. I would not add her back without a lengthy integration period of the look but don't touch method. You may still have problems depending on why it all started.

How big is your set up? Most aggression is over territory and not enough room. You also have busy pushy breeds which will require more room than some other breeds. Sharing some pictures of you set up may help.

 

[DobieLover]

She's been away from the flock for almost a month. She has to be reintegrated slowly.
How large is your coop and run?
Where are you located in the world? You can update your profile page with that information so people can offer appropriate advice.
If you have space limitations coupled with winter confinement and a low ranking, semi-disabled pullet that needs reintegration, you may have quite a task ahead of you.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

We had this problem with our girl Persephone. She got attacked by a hawk when she was about 7 weeks old their first week outside. She recovered but it took 2 weeks. In the mean time they were establishing their pecking order. We integrated her slowly once a day with supervised visits. First time they attacked her within a few moments. Next day a few minutes. Next day 10 minutes. Next day a half hour. Next day we stayed out there for a whole hour without incident. Finally we let her in their by herself with no problems but she wasnt eating well because they wouldnt let her at the food. Put out another dish and now we have had no problems. Best of luck with your girl. If you find after you have integrated slowly it is still occurring you could probably put some pine tar on her comb. It tastes nasty and they wont think shes delicious anymore