One of my chickens had leg injury a few weeks ago. She spent most of her time recovering in a cage, but we did bring her back to the flock for an hour or two every day, so they would not forget her. It all went fine until she fully recovered.
It seems that a couple of low standing chickens decided to use this as an opportunity to move up in the pecking order. So, now give opportunity they attack her violently. They would puff feathers and bump chests, but then it escalates quickly with feathers flying and they locking beaks. Obviously, we break the fight when it gets ugly.
I have fenced out a part of chicken run with plastic net. So the recovering chicken can enjoy some peace while others can still see her. We let her out for an hour or two when we are around to break fights. She still sleeps in a separate cage at night.
Anything else we can do to help reintroducing? I know they need to establish the new pecking order and we let them fight to a degree, but we don't want to risk a serious injury. It does not help that the recovering chicken does not want to give up her rank and neither chicken backs up form the fight.
The recovering chicken gets alone with higher ranking chickens just fine. A casual peck, that's it. In fact we saw today a higher ranking chicken broke the fight. This is why we believe the flock did not forget her. Just a couple of troublemakers trying to move up.
It seems that a couple of low standing chickens decided to use this as an opportunity to move up in the pecking order. So, now give opportunity they attack her violently. They would puff feathers and bump chests, but then it escalates quickly with feathers flying and they locking beaks. Obviously, we break the fight when it gets ugly.
I have fenced out a part of chicken run with plastic net. So the recovering chicken can enjoy some peace while others can still see her. We let her out for an hour or two when we are around to break fights. She still sleeps in a separate cage at night.
Anything else we can do to help reintroducing? I know they need to establish the new pecking order and we let them fight to a degree, but we don't want to risk a serious injury. It does not help that the recovering chicken does not want to give up her rank and neither chicken backs up form the fight.
The recovering chicken gets alone with higher ranking chickens just fine. A casual peck, that's it. In fact we saw today a higher ranking chicken broke the fight. This is why we believe the flock did not forget her. Just a couple of troublemakers trying to move up.
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