Hen getting pecked

[Don Huevo]

I have a hen that had a small wound near her eye. The other chickens kept pecking at the bloody spot. I keep the the hen seperated until the wound finally healed. Now, when I try to return her to the flock all of the other chickens run right over and all start pecking her even though she is completely healed. It seems that she is not "accepted" in the flock any more. Is there any way to reintroduce her into the flock?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Tanith BHH]

It is difficult to say what the best method is without knowing how many hens you have in your flock.. If it's a small flock you may want to take another hen out too, and place them together separate from the others, and then introduce them together... trying to introduce one hen on her own to a flock is really difficult! Sometimes identifying the main bully is a good idea, and separating her instead so she is on her own, then the others might not feel so inclined to peck her. You can then reintroduce the bully on her own, and hopefully she will calm down a bit. This is what I did with my hen
Good luck and I hope this helps!

 

[Don Huevo]

I have 10 hens in my flock. I kept an eye on them when I tried putting her back in with the others. It doesn't seem to be just one bully. Once they notice her, at least 3 or 4 other hens will run over and start pecking her at the same time. They kind of gang up on her. I will definitely try to pair her with another to see if I have better luck reintroducing two to the flock. Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

 

[dawg53]

I have 10 hens in my flock. I kept an eye on them when I tried putting her back in with the others. It doesn't seem to be just one bully. Once they notice her, at least 3 or 4 other hens will run over and start pecking her at the same time. They kind of gang up on her. I will definitely try to pair her with another to see if I have better luck reintroducing two to the flock. Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

They instinctively believe she is a new bird being introduced into the flock. They are ensuring that she'll be at the bottom of the pecking order. Next time you seperate a bird for whatever reason, try keeping her close to the flock where she can be seen at all times, perhaps in a cage with food and water...bring her inside at sunset of course. Reintroduction will be much easier next time.
Another option is to put her inside the coop on a roost later at night when the others are sleeping. When they wake up and go outside in the morning, they'll think she was with them all along and shouldnt mess with her.

 

[Don Huevo]

Sounds good. I will try the roost thing tonight. Thanks!