Integration mishap- pullet with bloody head

[My1stChickens]

Doing a lot of thinking on when to try the full integration. The injured hen has been reintegrated with her peers-- today is the 13th day. They are doing well. There is still "posturing" behavior going on-- run up, fluff feathers, hop straight in the air and look fierce. But I have not seen actual pecking or any evidence of pecking. They eat and drink together politely. They come in/go out of their part of the run like little soldiers, and roost on the top roost together. I'm thinking the next step is some supervised time out for all 8 hens (the older group and the younger group) in the run. There is a lot of space to run away. Granted, the "older" group are still fast runners so they might chase. But I think any squabbles could be interrupted by scattering treats on the ground.

One downfall is that I'm not sure it will be easy to get them separated again to put them on their own side of the coop.

Another consideration: I thought these littles might start to lay near the end of the month. But this morning I found a small light brown egg in a makeshift hollow someone had scratched on the coop floor. None are squatting yet but all have red enough combs. The blue copper maran has the reddest comb, but this is the wrong color for her. It's small but SOMEONE has started to lay. I put some hay down to make a better nest for now, but would like to pursue full integration SOON so the new layers have access to nesting boxes (which they cannot access while the coop is split.)

 

[My1stChickens]

Y'all! @Eggcessive and @Bawkbok -- look at this girl! It's day 19 since she was scalped and I'm excited to show her progress! Look at those feathers! Now I can see that she is still bald right on top of her head, but when I squinted real hard, I thought I saw a few more trying to come in.
These were taken before I applied more BluKote. When I put her on the roost one of the bigger hens in her group (Fancy) decided to peck her. Well this lil hen went after her! Pecked her right on the comb about a half dozen times, with Fancy just hunkered down being humble. She's a fighter! Now that I know someone laid an egg, I'm wondering if her VERY red face might indicate she is the one? No way to know for sure. Thelma was sold as an Easter Egger, but she has no muffs.... I'd say it's most likely either Thelma or Bernice who laid the little brown egg. But it could be Louise, the other Easter Egger. Doesn't really matter, I'll figure it out soon enough or if I get real curious I'll set up a game camera to monitor the little nest.

I need to integrate the two groups. Starting with outside time. Might try a little supervised togetherness in the run on Wednesday (tomorrow is already too full).

 

[Bawkbok]

She is looking great and it's good to hear she is strong in retaliating -- sticking up for herself.
In terms of integration, I would encourage you to be in the run for observation so you can intervene if necessary for anything beyond the typical behavior of everyone figuring out the pecking order, which takes more than a day.
If you decide to integrate outside of the run like for an hour before roosting time, and you have the older ones trained to return to the run when summoned, like using a shaker cup or some other method, the younger ones will learn from this behavior and follow. They already know where home is and where to roost, so returning to the coop and run is a natural inclination at dusk.
Integration is a fun and interesting process to watch. Good luck.

 

[My1stChickens]

I did not get pictures since Tuesday, but you can see those feathers are really coming in. Tonight it's getting down to 17 so I have been busy fortifying the coop near the area the younger group roosts. I put an LED panel heater up behind their roost. 17 is just very cold. Yesterday I had hoped to have supervised play time with the two groups together but we had brutal winds all day-- 20mph+ and they were already out of sorts. I always try to avoid "stacking" stressors. Maybe tomorrow will work out.

The photo below shows all 4 of the younger group. Louise at 7pm, Thelma (the injured pullet) at 9pm, Bernice and 11 pm, Fancy at 1am. If you did not know Thelma had been scalped you might not even look twice! She still has red around her face, but well, she's a chicken.

I'm up to 4 eggs from the new layer. I have a makeshift nesting box out in the run, and while I have not SEEN anyone lay, Bernice was showing the most interest while I was out there. So I suspect she's the new layer.

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad that she is looking and acting so well. Thanks for the update.

 

[My1stChickens]

Today marks 24 days since Thelma was "scalped". I took a few pictures outside when I thought I might let them all roam together for the first time-- that did not work out. I decided before I put them all together, the younger group should have a chance to explore the other section of the run first. Not while being chased or under duress, just a chance to explore it. But I digress.

I caught Thelma around dusk, when she was on the roost-- my intention was to get updated close ups to verify she looked as good as I thought she did from afar-- and to touch up her BluKote. Once I saw her upclose I did not see any spots that I felt needed BluKote. @Eggcessive, please look and see if you share that conclusion? The bald spot right behind her comb has started to fill in, the majority of feathers are starting to look like legit feathers. She looks a little "pale" on the left side of her face rather than RED, but nothing in her behavior to suggest shes not feeling 100%. Last night it was COLD (went from 60 during the day to 17 overnight) so I put an LED heater behing their roost--went to check them and they were lined up like good girls right in front of the heater.

Anyway, I'm attaching a few pictures to show what I think might be a pretty well healed up pullet? I so appreciate the support through this journey, from many but particularly @Eggcessive and @Bawkbok. Any and all opinions welcomed -- if she needs or would benefit from further care, I'm of course willing to do it. I do hope documenting this process will help others in the future.

 

[Bawkbok]

She looks good. You can't even tell what happened if one didn't know.

went to check them and they were lined up like good girls right in front of the heater.

That's cute. They'll move away from it if they need to.

Thanks for the update and pictures. Hard to believe it's been 24 days already.

 

[Eggcessive]

She really looks good, doesn’t she? Great job. So happy for your hen.

 

[My1stChickens]

Today I took a deep breath and let the littles out into the area where the big girls normally go, then the big girls into the smaller area. The thought was to let the littles explore the rest of the area. So much for thinking things out, because within 60 seconds, Fancy flew to the top of the chicken tractor and down into the smaller side of the pen. Just started foraging with the big girls. So I opened up gates on the dividers so they all had access to the whole run, as long as they went to the opening. There was some squabbling, but I think they were just sorting things out. Both Americaunas seemed to be particularly offended by Fancy (the gorgeous blue hen), perhaps for her unusual coloring? Fancy did not run away or fight back, she just submits, even when it was more than a couple pecks. Thelma and Louise were not brave at all. ONE TIME, Louise tried to come to Fancy's defense but gave up as soon as the bigger hen looked at her. They are smaller than the rest, and most of the time were willing to RUN to safety. Even Buttcheeks who is at the absolute bottom of the pecking order challenged the new girls. (just enough to assert herself, a single tentative peck, not more persistent like Olive and Penelope. The 10 year old did not engage, she retreated to the roost in the second chicken tractor which is what she does when it's cold or windy and today was both. (45 degrees, 20 mph wind but I did not want to delay another day to at least start.)

Friday we dip to 18 degrees, and Sat only get up to 20, then down to single digits-- and get 3" of snow. I started thinking through the logistics of water heaters, closing up the upper levels of the coop more.... and ended up thinking it might just be best to bring them into the (insulated) horse barn Thursday night til Sun or Monday. I doubt they will be sufficiently integrated by then but I have two stalls and can put one group in each stall. Without even using heat, having them 100% draft free would be good. It starts snowing overnight Thursday, but will get much colder and more snow Saturday. Sunday doesn't get above 30 then down to 16. But Monday up to 40 so that's probably when I'd move them back. Thursday night til probably Monday noon in the barn. Hopefully not long enough to totally undo the integration progress I hope to make this week. I hope to have them out together for more time each day, but separate them again at night unless they really look okay together. From next Monday on, highs around 40, lows in the low 20's so winter cold, not Antarctica cold. So I can move them back to the coop and run Monday.

 

[Bawkbok]

It sounds like integration is going fairly well. Normal stuff. It might take about two weeks for them to fully figure out the new pecking order if they have exposure to each other every day.
Some pecking looks mean and vicious but unless they draw blood it's normal stuff.