How to help a chicken in quarantine rejoin flock

[TxChickenGeek]

She needs a safe pen, temporary and makeshift if necessary, or a large crate, to be back in the flock but separate and safe. This will give everyone a chance to get used to her being back, and she can eat and drink all she wants at her own pace. It shouldn't be a problem for ther o roost with the flock at night.

But that is how I had her. When we had to put her on different bedding, she was in the middle of the run, just separated by the wire of the crate and had her own food and water. They still picked at her through the wire...someone grabbed her comb and she was bleeding (that is pretty much healed now)... and tried to eat her food.
We have been letting her sleep in a little crate in the coop at night.

 

[azygous]

Have you tried letting her roost with the others? That goes a long way toward integration. When they all wake up to her on the roost with them, they often figure she belongs with them. (I haven't had chickens actually tell me this, but by their behavior, I conclude it.)

Part of the problem could be chicken victim syndrome where she now lacks the self confidence to re-integrate, and the others pick up on this and bully her, which robs her of the little self confidence she still has. Gradual integration, exposing her to the other at short intervals, working her way up to longer intervals, as a way to rebuild her confidence.

 

[TxChickenGeek]

Have you tried letting her roost with the others? That goes a long way toward integration. When they all wake up to her on the roost with them, they often figure she belongs with them. (I haven't had chickens actually tell me this, but by their behavior, I conclude it.)

Part of the problem could be chicken victim syndrome where she now lacks the self confidence to re-integrate, and the others pick up on this and bully her, which robs her of the little self confidence she still has. Gradual integration, exposing her to the other at short intervals, working her way up to longer intervals, as a way to rebuild her confidence.

Ok- I'll let her roost with them tonight.
She does seem to run whenever they come toward her. Hopefully she is just being nervous.
Thanks!

 

[TxChickenGeek]

Well...update on my Lilo bird...we thought things were going ok with integrating her. Sleeping with the flock at night and hanging out during the day. She tended to stay away from the rest of the flock but I did see her in with them eating at times. Then, Sunday I look in the flock and she is up walking back and forth along the shelf in the run where I set water containers when refilling water, etc. she seemed agitated. Checked on her, and she was bleeding by her head. Looks like someone got after her. Here is a pic from today...looks worse than yesterday.
So we have taken three steps backwards. Have her sleeping in her little crate in the coop again. Tomorrow, I will put her in a separate pen in the coop. I don’t want to separate her again, but I worry they are going to go after the wound more. Any other advice?
How to treat her head? We tried dabbing some nesoporin and spray with a chicken wound spray.
(We had an unexpected loss of one of our other chickens last Wednesday. Just came home, and Scarlet was dead. No damage, no signs of wounds, no previous illness...just a mystery.) Don’t want to lose my poor Lilo bird to the flock bullies picking at her.

 

[azygous]

I mentioned chicken victim syndrome. You may need to consider this as part of a problem that could be developing and figure out a setup to treat it. I discuss how I go about this here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

 

[TxChickenGeek]

I mentioned chicken victim syndrome. You may need to consider this as part of a problem that could be developing and figure out a setup to treat it. I discuss how I go about this here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

Thanks for the link. We have had her separated for a while now. She has been free ranging with the others during the day with basically no problems. Starting this week, she is sleeping with them again with seemingly no issues. It's just when they are in the run together that I still see some issues. We have one elevated shelf in the run. She tends to hang out up there by herself most of the time they are in the run, or she is in the coop by herself.
I have seen her come tearing out of the coop kinda squawking for no particular reason. The others do tend to react to that and get after her then. I tend to see the others go after her if food is involved. She gives way, but it seems more than one get after her, not just one bully. It never fails, but they get her comb in some way. She is certainly jumpy and flighty and seeming to keep her distance anytime another comes near her. I worry about them not letting her eat.
It is weird to me, because she will be right with the group at times, even the head hen, when free ranging, but as soon as they are in the run, it's like they are different birds.
I'm about to try to convince my hubby to add on a chicken jail for me, like in your article. I want to get a few more chicks in a few weeks, so I think it would be a good idea. I'm nervous about trying to introduce new babies when they have been so tough on an established member of the flock.

 

[azygous]

You need not be worried about bringing baby chicks into the flock. Generally, adult chickens feel no threat or concern for baby chicks. I brood my chicks in my chicken jail pen and they grow up in close proximity to the adults, and by two or three weeks, the chicks are safely mingling with the rest of the flock. Here's how I do it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

 

[TxChickenGeek]

You need not be worried about bringing baby chicks into the flock. Generally, adult chickens feel no threat or concern for baby chicks. I brood my chicks in my chicken jail pen and they grow up in close proximity to the adults, and by two or three weeks, the chicks are safely mingling with the rest of the flock. Here's how I do it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

What do you mean by a heating pad system?

Also, may I ask where you are located? (comparing temps?) I'm in Texas near the Houston area.

 

[rosemarythyme]

What do you mean by a heating pad system?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

I also brood chicks outdoors with the flock, with a heat pad, though I set mine up a little differently than most: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/

 

[azygous]

Yes, as @rosemarythyme linked to the original thread that introduced us all to this brooding system. I've used it on nights it got down into the high 20s. I would lay a folded wool blanket over the top of the hating pad frame to keep heat from escaping. The chicks did great, and they were only a few days old.