Im too old for this :(

[Suep666]

so Hi All you experts out there... having a few issues with our flock.
We've had chickens for some years now and have been through all sorts of different issues and problems and with the help of you guys always managed to come out the other side quite well.
so I'm hoping I can get some great advice about our current issue - Bullying !!

Escobar , our Columbian Blacktail got attacked before Christmas... quite a bad injury on her leg - advice from the vet was to separate her but within the pen/coop area so the others could still see her but not actually get to her... then it would make reintroduction easier.
approx. four weeks of healing...let her out with the others and life was back to normal...great !!

but about 8 weeks ago Escobar looked a little under the weather - again on advice from our local chicken farmer we took her home for some R & R in the back room chicken hospital... a week away and she perked up and looked ready to go back home
so used the same principal - penned her in a separate area within the pen / coops for about 2 weeks and recently attempted to let her back out with the rest of the flock ..but.. this time was different , as soon as she hit the ground two of the flock pounced and she ran away and hid behind my legs...so we put her back in her separation area for safe keeping... we've been attempting to get her back within them now for two weeks and they're just not having it . its the same two birds that just seem to hate her... the other two are not in the slightest bit interested and in fact she'll even try to hide behind them also. She is constantly running for her life and she seems so stressed all the time that she's lost some weight and only eats when we lock her away from the others. I cannot comfortably leave her out for anymore than half an hour amongst them without being scared they'll really hurt her

I'm stuck for options... not possible to make her a house bird or have her in the back garden (they are currently on an allotment next to our house)
its not fair to keep her in a small area of the pen for much longer as she's just not displaying any normal chicken behaviour - scratching bathing or general trotting about - she just stands there...she has a covered box to lay in if she needs to but she hasn't laid for months
we have a large pen and so thought we'd have space for another 1/2 birds and wondered would this maybe take the heat from her a bit... we have two separate coops and so she could go in at night with the new birds and maybe they can form their own alliance
or... is this asking for more trouble - am I putting lambs to the slaughter with this idea...
How can I snap these too monsters out of this current behaviour - one of which was bullied herself when she first came to us.. not as bad as they are doing to poor Escobar but she was always the timid one - it appears the worm has turned..

any advice on this would be so much appreciated.. its heart breaking watching the poor little thing literally bury her head in the ground to try and get away from them and I fear shes fading away before our eyes

please help !!!

*title edited by Staff

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Maybe she is failing in health and the others sense it?

 

[Nuchi]

Have you tried swapping them so the trouble makers are penned and she has run of the pen. I am no expert but in animal behavioral study having the time to get comfortable with ones surroundings is often the deference between being bullied and not. The only risk I can think of if they are the only problem makers is if they get jealous being cooped up, but I don't think chickens brains work like that. Just in case I would make it more about the trouble makers in a positive way, not punishment. You know give them some free time and extra treats, especially if you're keeping them apart for more then a day or two.

Maybe when introducing them again if you have connected coop/run let one group go on coop side and the other group on the run side giving them a couple of hours to adjust apart then open the door between them so they can co-mingle at there own choice and time not yours. Minimizing the caged/trapped feeling before seeing each other as well. Not to mention if there are others that are fine with her to hang out with her when the trouble makers come back into the equation it would be harder to single her out.

I am sure other more qualified people will chime in but its what came to my mind, and as there is no there replies I figured I might as well try.

 

[BYC910]

I like jailing the trouble makers , single cages for a week or more . No contact with the flock or each other then reintroduce them one at a time in the small cage in to the flock . The flock should be able to circle the cage. This might lower their status in the pecking order , at least for a while . Really around here trouble making hens get sold off .

 

[Suep666]

Have you tried swapping them so the trouble makers are penned and she has run of the pen. I am no expert but in animal behavioral study having the time to get comfortable with ones surroundings is often the deference between being bullied and not. The only risk I can think of if they are the only problem makers is if they get jealous being cooped up, but I don't think chickens brains work like that. Just in case I would make it more about the trouble makers in a positive way, not punishment. You know give them some free time and extra treats, especially if you're keeping them apart for more then a day or two.

Maybe when introducing them again if you have connected coop/run let one group go on coop side and the other group on the run side giving them a couple of hours to adjust apart then open the door between them so they can co-mingle at there own choice and time not yours. Minimizing the caged/trapped feeling before seeing each other as well. Not to mention if there are others that are fine with her to hang out with her when the trouble makers come back into the equation it would be harder to single her out.

I am sure other more qualified people will chime in but its what came to my mind, and as there is no there replies I figured I might as well try.

Wow what an interesting concept... actually this is possible- and yes would give our little girl a break.. she’s fine with the other two so she’ll have a chance..
and looks like another member had a similar idea.. separate the bullies instead... were going to get onto this straight away - thank you so much

 

[Suep666]

I like jailing the trouble makers , single cages for a week or more . No contact with the flock or each other then reintroduce them one at a time in the small cage in to the flock . The flock should be able to circle the cage. This might lower their status in the pecking order , at least for a while . Really around here trouble making hens get sold off .

Yes another member has just suggested this also.. were going to give it a try straight away .. thank you so much

 

[Suep666]

Maybe she is failing in health and the others sense it?

Yeah she was poorly at first but perked right up and apart from not laying she’s not displaying any symptoms of anything else ... but hey who knows what’s going on inside their little bodies.. we have some vitamins for her so maybe these will help her out a bit
Thanks

 

[Nuchi]

Please keep us up to date I am particularly interested in finding out how it goes as this is just from some side knowledge picked up from my ecosystem study.

The base of my knowledge goes Soil life, then Macro life Flora, Fungi, Fauna and in this case Fauna behavior which is extremely deep and a lot of people devote there life to it alone, some go as far to pick a lone species they study. I guess I am more of a jack of all trades studding it as a whole, point being what I say may or may not apply/be accurate. That being said in this case I feel pretty confidant being a pretty simple problem. Though I also know animals are anything but simple.

 

[Suep666]

Please keep us up to date I am particularly interested in finding out how it goes as this is just from some side knowledge picked up from my ecosystem study.

The base of my knowledge goes Soil life, then Macro life Flora, Fungi, Fauna and in this case Fauna behavior which is extremely deep and a lot of people devote there life to it alone, some go as far to pick a lone species they study. I guess I am more of a jack of all trades studding it as a whole, point being what I say may or may not apply/be accurate. That being said in this case I feel pretty confidant being a pretty simple problem. Though I also know animals are anything but simple.

Oh I certainly will... yes I’ve picked up stuff over my years of owning all sorts of different animals and birds but each flock we’ve had have been different.. little mental cases !!!

 

[Nuchi]

Birds brains, song birds and parrots in particular, the part of there brain in charge of calls are closer to our brains(the part we use for speech) then almost all mammals. Because of this I know they are prone to many things we are, like song birds with stutters is a thing. Its really fascinating.