I have 9 hens who are about 9 months old, all laying and have established their order.
I had 3 babies I started to integrate. I have a separated front part of the coop that I usually keep food and supplies but to do my integration I used that section to integrate the babies. One of my babies had failure to thrive and didn't really get her feathers in, she was very tiny, so I was worried about her going outside but I put a little brooder plate on the small side with them. She started eating with some help of mash and really started thriving and growing well, getting her feathers in. (I did also have someone here tell me she had a deformed head and probably wouldn't make it long, but I was really hopeful with how much progress she had made) I kept them in the that part of the coop for about 3 weeks. I really wanted her to catch up a little before I let her run with the big girls.
I started opening the door inbetween them and they would do some supervised migling. The big girls would come over and eat their food and drink their water. I had an open waterer on the babies' side, but with the temps below freezing at night, I really didn't want to use this so that I can keep their wattles dry. So after about a week, I left the door open for day and night. That went well for about a week. The babies can run over to "their side" if they need to but had learned to work the nipple waterer. They still had their separate food, even though the big girls are enjoying that as well.
Now, here's the problem. I went out of town for work and I left my boys in charge of all chicken things while I was gone. I told them to make sure the babies were getting drinks and their food was being kept full. When I got home, I found one of the babies dead, my one who had FTT. She was inbetween the feeder and waterer. I couldn't find any signs of injuy on her. So, IDK if she wasn't getting drinks, or food or if it was just her congenital deformity that did her in or if my bigger hens did something to her.
Last evening, I went down to find one of the other babies outside in the run all by herself, everyone else had gone in to roost already. She has a bloody spot on her back by the start of the tail feathers. My other remaining baby was up on the top roost, snuggled up with the top hen. I separated by injured baby back into the smaller section with the door closed, but I was really worried about her being all alone at night, with no one to help her keep her heat. I do still have the brooder plate in there, but IDK if they even go near it. This morning I put the other baby sectioned off with her so they could both eat and drink in peace.
I feel like if I take her out of the coop completely, getting her back in will be absolutely impossible, especially with her littermate integrating seamlessly. I don't want her to be alone, but also don't want to stunt the other's progress into the flock. I also want to let her heal before I put her back in, but I know I can't wait too long or she will have to start all over. I will be adding an additional waterer and some more clutter into the run, and something with an easy place for her to escape to. But what's the best course of action here?
Separate her alone, or with the 2nd baby?
Add: the wound to her seems fairly superficial. I put neosporin on it last night and it looks much better this morning, not bloody anymore, so I think it's going to heal without an issue. I've also never had a hen injury, especially not like this so IDK what the timeline is for it to be "healed" enough.
I had 3 babies I started to integrate. I have a separated front part of the coop that I usually keep food and supplies but to do my integration I used that section to integrate the babies. One of my babies had failure to thrive and didn't really get her feathers in, she was very tiny, so I was worried about her going outside but I put a little brooder plate on the small side with them. She started eating with some help of mash and really started thriving and growing well, getting her feathers in. (I did also have someone here tell me she had a deformed head and probably wouldn't make it long, but I was really hopeful with how much progress she had made) I kept them in the that part of the coop for about 3 weeks. I really wanted her to catch up a little before I let her run with the big girls.
I started opening the door inbetween them and they would do some supervised migling. The big girls would come over and eat their food and drink their water. I had an open waterer on the babies' side, but with the temps below freezing at night, I really didn't want to use this so that I can keep their wattles dry. So after about a week, I left the door open for day and night. That went well for about a week. The babies can run over to "their side" if they need to but had learned to work the nipple waterer. They still had their separate food, even though the big girls are enjoying that as well.
Now, here's the problem. I went out of town for work and I left my boys in charge of all chicken things while I was gone. I told them to make sure the babies were getting drinks and their food was being kept full. When I got home, I found one of the babies dead, my one who had FTT. She was inbetween the feeder and waterer. I couldn't find any signs of injuy on her. So, IDK if she wasn't getting drinks, or food or if it was just her congenital deformity that did her in or if my bigger hens did something to her.
Last evening, I went down to find one of the other babies outside in the run all by herself, everyone else had gone in to roost already. She has a bloody spot on her back by the start of the tail feathers. My other remaining baby was up on the top roost, snuggled up with the top hen. I separated by injured baby back into the smaller section with the door closed, but I was really worried about her being all alone at night, with no one to help her keep her heat. I do still have the brooder plate in there, but IDK if they even go near it. This morning I put the other baby sectioned off with her so they could both eat and drink in peace.
I feel like if I take her out of the coop completely, getting her back in will be absolutely impossible, especially with her littermate integrating seamlessly. I don't want her to be alone, but also don't want to stunt the other's progress into the flock. I also want to let her heal before I put her back in, but I know I can't wait too long or she will have to start all over. I will be adding an additional waterer and some more clutter into the run, and something with an easy place for her to escape to. But what's the best course of action here?
Separate her alone, or with the 2nd baby?
Add: the wound to her seems fairly superficial. I put neosporin on it last night and it looks much better this morning, not bloody anymore, so I think it's going to heal without an issue. I've also never had a hen injury, especially not like this so IDK what the timeline is for it to be "healed" enough.
