Hens being mean to 1 hen i had seperated for a couple weeks

[jmanderson777]

So I put Reba back out with the flock last night. If you dont remember or didn't see my post in the illness forum, she was the hen that had a bad prolapse. She has been separated for about 2 1/2 weeks from the rest. Now the others are real mean to her. Not letting her out of the house into the run and pecking at her when she's near them. Tonight the others wouldnt let her back into the house after i let them free range for a couple hours. How long will this last and is there anything I can do to help her out

James Anderson

 

[Chido]

She's at the bottom of the pecking order, and it will take a while for your chickens to settle down again. If you have space in your run, can you put a crate or something so she can still have some outside time while being safe from the others? With a crate they can see each other but not really hurt each other, so that makes the reintroduction safer for Reba. They need time to get used to her and see where she belongs in the pecking order.

 

[sourland]

It's all about the pecking order. They will eventually accept her, but she may always be lowest ranked.

 

[Backyard Hencam]

Oh, that is so hard to watch. I've gone through this and it was really sad. I've found that there is not much you can do. I rehomed my worst offender who just pecked everyone, and that helped the situation but if they are all pecking on her, you will have to crate her in the coop until they become familiar with her again. It's like putting a new hen into the flock. Good luck!