Hen attacking one particular chick

[PippinTheChicken]

My 2 hens are raising 4 chicks within the flock. Last time, it worked very well and one other hen, Fries, even helped care for them. So I did it again, and there are 4 chicks. Fries doesn't go broody so she doesn't have any chicks. Only Blue and Pippin have 2 each, but Blue cares for them all.
Every morning, Fries has been attacking one particular chick, Thor, but she is nice to the other chicks.
Thor has trouble catching up with Blue and the other chicks, even though she is the oldest. Now Thor is scared to leave the coop and Blue is going outside with the other chicks.
This is not an overcrowding issue, and I cannot make another enclosure for Blue and her chicks because it would need a roof because of the bird flu and I cannot do that.
Should I cage Fries? Or take thor in?

 

[sourland]

I would separate Fries for a bit.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I would separate Fries for a bit.

I have a dog cage. Will that do?
What about Thor? I'm worried about her. She's lighter and I just found her shaking in the coop.
She's inside the house to warm up a bit. Mama hasn't noticed

 

[sourland]

I would make sure that Thor gets enough to eat, but would try to keep her with the flock. There may be something congenitally wrong with her, and that may be why she is being attacked.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I would make sure that Thor gets enough to eat, but would try to keep her with the flock. There may be something congenitally wrong with her, and that may be why she is being attacked.

How can I tell if somethings wrong with her?

 

[Ridgerunner]

How can I tell if somethings wrong with her?

I don't know how you can tell that. At this point a problem could be something the chick hatched with or it could be an injury from the pecking. If it can't keep up there is something wrong, either physically or mentally.

I'm disappointed the broody hen is not protecting the chick but I've had one leave a chick behind when it wouldn't or couldn't keep up. After five days the chick just would not leave the coop so Mama took the rest out. She chose the rest over the one chick. That chick spent all day giving the distress peep in the coop. The other hens did not bother it when they came in to lay their eggs. The next day that chick followed Mama and the rest.

I've had a broody hen kill two of her chicks right after they hatched but raise the other six. There were no differences that I could see in those two and the rest, color or anything like that. I had a broody accept the red chicks when I added them to her hatch but rejected the black ones. Your attacker is not a broody. I've seen an individual chicken take a dislike to a specific chicken but that was when they were older. I don't know why that hen is attacking the one chick or why Mama is not protecting it.

I agree with Sour, I'd want to leave that chick with the rest if you can. If you can I'd isolate that one hen for a few days to see if the chick can keep up with the others. Then try again. I've had some successes and some failures in changing behaviors by isolating like that.

I'd be reluctant to separate that chick from the other chicks if you have to raise it yourself. They can get really lonely by themselves, it makes it harder to raise them and keep it alive. And it makes it easier to integrate later if you have a bunch. For ease of integration later I'd keep all four chicks together.

If isolating the hen works, good. If not I don't see any real easy answers. Good luck.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I don't know how you can tell that. At this point a problem could be something the chick hatched with or it could be an injury from the pecking. If it can't keep up there is something wrong, either physically or mentally.

I'm disappointed the broody hen is not protecting the chick but I've had one leave a chick behind when it wouldn't or couldn't keep up. After five days the chick just would not leave the coop so Mama took the rest out. She chose the rest over the one chick. That chick spent all day giving the distress peep in the coop. The other hens did not bother it when they came in to lay their eggs. The next day that chick followed Mama and the rest.

I've had a broody hen kill two of her chicks right after they hatched but raise the other six. There were no differences that I could see in those two and the rest, color or anything like that. I had a broody accept the red chicks when I added them to her hatch but rejected the black ones. Your attacker is not a broody. I've seen an individual chicken take a dislike to a specific chicken but that was when they were older. I don't know why that hen is attacking the one chick or why Mama is not protecting it.

I agree with Sour, I'd want to leave that chick with the rest if you can. If you can I'd isolate that one hen for a few days to see if the chick can keep up with the others. Then try again. I've had some successes and some failures in changing behaviors by isolating like that.

I'd be reluctant to separate that chick from the other chicks if you have to raise it yourself. They can get really lonely by themselves, it makes it harder to raise them and keep it alive. And it makes it easier to integrate later if you have a bunch. For ease of integration later I'd keep all four chicks together.

If isolating the hen works, good. If not I don't see any real easy answers. Good luck.

thank you.
Blue does attack Fries when she attacks Thor, but Fries had already done what she wanted.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

It's strange because Fries only started attacking her this week. They wee fine before

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I separated fries, but she still couldn't catch up and ran to me instead then another hen went for her. I'm thinking she has an issue, I'm not gonna give up on her because she acts like a normal chick otherwise.
I'm preparing a brooder for her inside, I'm gonna have a mirror, stuffed toys and an upside down duster (like a hen)

 

[Silkie Princess]

I separated fries, but she still couldn't catch up and ran to me instead then another hen went for her. I'm thinking she has an issue, I'm not gonna give up on her because she acts like a normal chick otherwise.
I'm preparing a brooder for her inside, I'm gonna have a mirror, stuffed toys and an upside down duster (like a hen)

Can't you put her with the D'uccles?