Help to reintegrate hen

[HowIsItDone]

One of my hens was attacked by the other birds 5 days ago.
I have 5 hens and 1 rooster.
I think it was due to feather loss on her back from the rooster, or maybe he scratched her. He's her favorite. At first I put her in a small dog cage, and then moved her to a 5 foot diameter foldable dog pen. She's in my living room, and is healing well. I have an apron/saddle arriving today. (I should have done that sooner. I feel terrible.)

The big challenge is how to integrate her back into the flock.
I have an open design 10x12 coop, and similar 10x12 run, but no quarantine area. The dog cage can hold her, but it's not really big enough for food and water. The pen is to flimsy and large to put out there.

I have been letting them free range for about an hour a day when the weather is nice. (3 or 4 days a week for the past 3 weeks. I have to stay with them due to hawks, etc.)

Is it better to try to reintegrate her sooner than later? And in my situation, what would be the best way to go about it?

I'm elderly with no wood working skills, and little body strength, so I can only use what I have.
Anyone have any good suggestions?

 

[Mrs. K]

Thing is, you are going to put her back into the same situation that they attacked her before. I don’t think it was being barebackec, or being the roosters favorite.

Adding a single strange bird back to an established flock is hard. Adding a previous victim is hard. I think I would try and sell her.

How is the current flock getting along? Might be that is best for your set up.

I generally advise adding a single bird to her, get a one on one relationship set up, but when you can’t let the others out, don’t have a large enough space for a cage… it limits your options.

Mrs K

 

[HowIsItDone]

Thing is, you are going to put her back into the same situation that they attacked her before. I don’t think it was being barebackec, or being the roosters favorite.

Adding a single strange bird back to an established flock is hard. Adding a previous victim is hard. I think I would try and sell her.

How is the current flock getting along? Might be that is best for your set up.

I generally advise adding a single bird to her, get a one on one relationship set up, but when you can’t let the others out, don’t have a large enough space for a cage… it limits your options.

Mrs K

She's been with them since birth, late June of last year. Aside from the rooster, I raised them from chicks.

Sell her to who? How would that be better for her? She'd still be "the new chicken", wouldn't she?

Is she so estranged already? This is horrible.
Thank you for replying.

 

[SkyAJK]

She's been with them since birth, late June of last year. Aside from the rooster, I raised them from chicks.

Sell her to who? How would that be better for her? She'd still be "the new chicken", wouldn't she?

Is she so estranged already? This is horrible.
Thank you for replying.

Like Mrs.K says, adding another bird with her is a good idea.

Is it possible to get those small metal fence and divide up the chicken run so that way she and another hen get some space of their own within the run, but not for the flock to touch them?
Something similar to this. You can fold it full size or smaller and it is not too heavy.

I have similar fence and I used it next to the existing run so they can see each other during the day. At night I take the isolated one in a dog box inside my house to sleep until it is all save to for her to join in. She joined the flocked in the end, but she is always at the bottom, but she has 1 hen that is nice to her. Occasionally she moved to another coop herself, and back.

It is not going to work if she gets beat up again. I had 5 hens and 1 rooster before and I separated the rooster and let him join them for some hours of the day, not all day or they will all be bared back.

I hope you find a solution work out for your little hen.

 

[Mrs. K]

Being raised together has little to no influence on chicken behavior. They have told you they don’t want her. Chickens can be heartless. She was estranged when they attacked her. Now she is a stranger and a victim. They can be vicious.

What I was thinking when I suggested selling her was that in another flock, the new people would be more experienced, have more space, and be able to create a safe structure for reintroduction. Those things are needed and you stated you didn’t have.

But another thing that has worked with small flocks like yours is the pin less peepers. Put them on for a couple of weeks, and often times the bullying will go away. You might need someone to help you get them on. Someone just posted a couple of weeks ago, that the peepers worked when nothing else did. Some people object to them, personally I object to a bird being eaten alive. To each his own way.

Mrs k

 

[Mrs. K]

https://www.amazon.com/Chickens-Ant...cphy=9020656&hvtargid=pla-2281435178778&psc=1

 

[HowIsItDone]

Being raised together has little to no influence on chicken behavior. They have told you they don’t want her. Chickens can be heartless. She was estranged when they attacked her. Now she is a stranger and a victim. They can be vicious.

What I was thinking when I suggested selling her was that in another flock, the new people would be more experienced, have more space, and be able to create a safe structure for reintroduction. Those things are needed and you stated you didn’t have.

But another thing that has worked with small flocks like yours is the pin less peepers. Put them on for a couple of weeks, and often times the bullying will go away. You might need someone to help you get them on. Someone just posted a couple of weeks ago, that the peepers worked when nothing else did. Some people object to them, personally I object to a bird being eaten alive. To each his own way.

Mrs k

Peepers? Are those the aprons?

I also object to my chicken being eaten alive, hence my post, lol.
I appreciate your help.

 

[HowIsItDone]

https://www.amazon.com/Chickens-Ant...cphy=9020656&hvtargid=pla-2281435178778&psc=1

Oh my gosh. Not available in Canada.

 

[McChooky]

My 3 Dominique's let me introduce a single Wyandotte hen 2 years ago and accepted her in only a couple weeks. They are a very tight knit group. Lone hens are better accepted in small groups (my hens previous owners dogs killed all her flockmates is why I rescued her)

 

[HowIsItDone]

My 3 Dominique's let me introduce a single Wyandotte hen 2 years ago and accepted her in only a couple weeks. They are a very tight knit group. Lone hens are better accepted in small groups (my hens previous owners dogs killed all her flockmates is why I rescued her)

Did you keep her in the cage for the first 2 weeks, and then let her out to join them?