- Jun 9, 2014
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I have six 8 1/2 week old buff orpingtons. One came down with coccidiosis, so she has been in sick bay in the house while she recovered. Yesterday I put her dog crate next to the run all day so they could get used to each other again. They all seemed fine - no stink eye, no pecking, etc. At one point the flock all settled down for a nap right next to her (just separated by hardware cloth), so I crossed my fingers and hoped we were good to go. I returned her to the roost last night after the others had gone to bed, then watched them this morning.
The problem doesn't seem to be the others. The problem is my returned chick. Although she was at the bottom of the pecking order before, no-one ever outright picked on her. A few pecks here and there, but not even a chase. As a group they are remarkably peaceful and social (I read orpingtons are good that way?). But now she squawks and runs whenever the others approach her - like she's expecting to get beaten up. I've watched them all day, and have only seen the leader peck at her once - but I don't think she even made contact and she didn't chase her.
My sick chick is the one causing the drama. The others seem confused, and then alarmed, by the way she is acting. Is this normal? Will she eventually settle down, or do I need to intervene now? The sick chick was always the baby of the group and most bonded to me. Spending all that time one-on-one with me didn't seem to help matters. It's like she's forgotten how to be a chicken and thinks she's a lap-bird!
Probably I rushed things by putting her back in, but she was only out five days, and they were all raised together. And the others do seem fine with her being back. She's no more picked on now than she was before she got sick.
Is there anything I can do to help her adjust? Or should I leave well enough alone and let them sort it out? There's no chasing, picking, feather pulling, or blood. Does that mean all the drama is normal?
The problem doesn't seem to be the others. The problem is my returned chick. Although she was at the bottom of the pecking order before, no-one ever outright picked on her. A few pecks here and there, but not even a chase. As a group they are remarkably peaceful and social (I read orpingtons are good that way?). But now she squawks and runs whenever the others approach her - like she's expecting to get beaten up. I've watched them all day, and have only seen the leader peck at her once - but I don't think she even made contact and she didn't chase her.
My sick chick is the one causing the drama. The others seem confused, and then alarmed, by the way she is acting. Is this normal? Will she eventually settle down, or do I need to intervene now? The sick chick was always the baby of the group and most bonded to me. Spending all that time one-on-one with me didn't seem to help matters. It's like she's forgotten how to be a chicken and thinks she's a lap-bird!
Probably I rushed things by putting her back in, but she was only out five days, and they were all raised together. And the others do seem fine with her being back. She's no more picked on now than she was before she got sick.
Is there anything I can do to help her adjust? Or should I leave well enough alone and let them sort it out? There's no chasing, picking, feather pulling, or blood. Does that mean all the drama is normal?
