Impacted Crop, flock aggression

[themagicash]

A few days ago we noticed one of our lower rung girls had a huge crop and could not walk. I tried to help her out of the run and suddenly the flock was on her, not just pecking but actually coming at her with their feet, etc. It was vicious.

I whisked her away to the garage and spent 2 days giving her massages, oil and water, etc. Today she was standing and eating again. She seems to have mostly recovered from what I assume was impacted crop.Her crop is now a normal size. However, she is still a bit wobbly and holding her wings out for support. Just now, before the flock bedtime, I tried to put her in the yard and the flock came again, feet out and ALL of them attacked her. The attacks go beyond pecking order issues and seem more like they want to kill her. Even the lowest rung chickens were attacking her.

The next time I try I will put her in at night, of course.

So there are a few things I am curious about:

1. Why are they trying to kill her? (they are all hens)
2. Her comb is BRIGHT I mean BRIGHT red, I have never seen anything like it. It has been this way during her illness.
3. Why is she still wobbly? Perhaps malnourished?

I have serious concerns that I might not ever be able to re-integrate her. And she was only gone 2 days!

She is a 12 month old EE. Still laying despite being sick.

Thanks!
Ashley

 

[purpletree23]

Give her more time inside with you until she is stronger. Give vitamins and treats and sunshine so she gets well quicker. Try not to keep her in a small box all day. She needs room to walk around and get her strength back. If I have a sick chicken I turn a cardboard box on its side and line the bottom with old clean rags so she has someplace to sleep and feel safe. I cover a 4X4 foot area with old sheets or what ever you have and using a semi circle of fence against the wall I make her her own pen. This way she can walk around normally (kinda).

The trick to integrating a hen back into the flock is to fence off a corner of the coop. Use any type of fencing and staple it temporarily to the coop walls. Chicken wire is fine as long as the hens can see each other. An area big enough for 3 or 4 hens. Put the hen to be reintroduced in the fenced off area for 3 or 4 days. Make sure she has food and water and because she is still laying a laying box.

After the 3 or 4 days have passed during daylight hours let the confined chicken out to mingle with the other chickens. You will know within a minute is she is accepted. Get ready to pick her up!

Hens will kill other hens when they detect an illness or weakness.

She is wobbly because she could be weak

What do her poops look like? Are they normal? That's the key to being sure her impacted crop has cleared up.

Make sure she has chicken grit and crushed oyster shell available also.

 

[themagicash]

Her poops have been pretty normal but got sparse at one point. I have her in a large dog kennel. Today I will lock her in her own run where she can be seen but not touched by the flock.

Thanks for your reply!