teamfreewill
Chirping
- Mar 29, 2015
- 80
- 14
- 66
Ignoring the cringeworthy username that I made when I was 15, here I am after years of not logging into BYC. But I'm at a loss with my newest addition and would like a second opinion on what to do with her.
I recently adopted a hen, she seems to be a California White, Austra White, RIW, or some kind of cross. Roughly a year or two old. I initially had trouble introducing her to my flock, which was to be expected, but a month later I'm not having much luck. She spent about a week in a cage inside the run so the rest of the flock would get used to her. Then I let her into the run, and two of my three roos got aggressive and tore her comb, so she went back into isolation until it healed. Second attempt didn't go any better, but I got her out before the boys could hurt her. So then I moved the two feisty roos into a different coop, and tried again with the gentle rooster. It went fine, he and the rest of the hens didn't bother her. I planned to (TRY to) re-introduce the roos after a few weeks when everybody settled down. I finally thought I had won, but the past few days I noticed the hen getting thinner and thinner, weaker and weaker, so I stuck around during feeding time and discovered that she's too afraid of the rest of the flock that she won't eat OR drink around them. Poor girl. Separating her to feed is one thing, but taking her out multiple times a day to give her water just isn't something I have the time for. The only time she will eat and drink (and not cower on the roost 24/7) is if she's alone in her own coop. I'm not unable to keep her by herself during the winter, I'm just worried that I'll never be able to fully integrate her into the flock and she'll have to stay in her own coop forever. I don't want the poor girl to be lonely. Any ideas?
I recently adopted a hen, she seems to be a California White, Austra White, RIW, or some kind of cross. Roughly a year or two old. I initially had trouble introducing her to my flock, which was to be expected, but a month later I'm not having much luck. She spent about a week in a cage inside the run so the rest of the flock would get used to her. Then I let her into the run, and two of my three roos got aggressive and tore her comb, so she went back into isolation until it healed. Second attempt didn't go any better, but I got her out before the boys could hurt her. So then I moved the two feisty roos into a different coop, and tried again with the gentle rooster. It went fine, he and the rest of the hens didn't bother her. I planned to (TRY to) re-introduce the roos after a few weeks when everybody settled down. I finally thought I had won, but the past few days I noticed the hen getting thinner and thinner, weaker and weaker, so I stuck around during feeding time and discovered that she's too afraid of the rest of the flock that she won't eat OR drink around them. Poor girl. Separating her to feed is one thing, but taking her out multiple times a day to give her water just isn't something I have the time for. The only time she will eat and drink (and not cower on the roost 24/7) is if she's alone in her own coop. I'm not unable to keep her by herself during the winter, I'm just worried that I'll never be able to fully integrate her into the flock and she'll have to stay in her own coop forever. I don't want the poor girl to be lonely. Any ideas?
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