Hen not being accepted into flock.

[horselover1999]

My silkie hen went broody last month. After 3 eggs were cracked by the others, my dad let me seperate her. None of the remaining eggs hatched. I moved her back out to the coop early this morning. After thirty minutes the pecking order was worked out with her above the bantams and below the Cochins and Sex-links. When I went out to check on her ten minutes ago she was up on the roost and would not get down no matter what. Apparently they were not letting her eat or drink and her crop was empty. I do not have another coop to put her in. She had been away from them for more than a week. If her crop was full I wouldn't be as worried about her.

She is way too scared of the others. What do I do?

 

[horselover1999]

I would ask my parents to let me keep her inside but I have two dogs that have killed two broiler chickens I had for an FFA project.

 

[azygous]

Was your Silky accepted by the flock before she went broody? If so, if you put her back with the others, and give it time, the flock will eventually accept her among them again. Don't worry about her not eating for a few days. Chickens won't die of starvation in just a few days.

However, there's a possibility, given this breed's meek temperament, that she may never be accepted by the flock. This is something many Silky keepers have encountered. Silkies and standard chickens are sometimes incompatible.

I had an EE hen who began her life as a terror in the flock, but eventually she became ostracized. I gave her her own pen in the run so she would still feel a part of things, but I had to bring her inside each night where I rigged up a bed in a basket by the back door in the garage. She was very content with this arrangement. During the summer, I rigged up a dog crate in her pen for her to sleep and lay her eggs in. That worked out even better for her, but I was worried it wouldn't work when the cold winter came back around. She died this past summer so I didn't have to worry about it.

So, there you have it. Those are the options I have to suggest. Maybe it will be a simple matter of the flock accepting her in time, and you won't have to try anything else, but talk them over with your parents just in case.

 

[horselover1999]

She was just broody so she had not eaten that much. They were letting her eat and drink at first but once they noticed her and her sister establishing the order they started to call her out. My partridge Cochin rooster and his hen didn't even try to touch her. It was the other Cochin and one of the sex-links. There is really only two hens going after her but they were already terrorizing the other silkies.

 

[teach1rusl]

I would make sure there are more than one food/water source spaced well apart (if she's staying in the coop, maybe that would be a good place) so that she has an opportunity to eat/drink, and would give it a few more days...

 

[horselover1999]

The only other feeder and waterer we have is a trough feeder and a chick waterer. If it doesn't work out I will have to get her a buddy.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Or you could pull out those two hens who are terrorizing everybody else. A little chicken jail for bad behavior sometimes does the trick. It can be as simple as a dog crate to sleep in at night and a little moveable fencing for daytime, just something temporary. Then put them back with the flock one at a time and see how things go.

 

[horselover1999]

I did not think of that.

 

[aart]

The only other feeder and waterer we have is a trough feeder and a chick waterer. If it doesn't work out I will have to get her a buddy.

That should work, might help to put them up on a concrete block.

 

[horselover1999]

When I let them out this morning she came out for about thirty seconds then went right back on the roost. I put her in the run but I have not checked on them yet mostly because the run is a mud pit.