Mean Girls

[Dhkoenig]

UGH I am mostly just venting but any advice also welcome. My nellie had an injured leg. We had to go away so she boarded at the vet while we were gone and things were getting better. I set up a hospital and A/C in my garage and day by day she was getting better and better. You could see her desire to break out of her pen. She wasnt limping anymore so I reintroduced her by first putting my sweetest girl in - that went fine in fact it seemed like they were happy to see each other. Then the next girl came in and almost seemed scared of Nellie. Then my biggest meanest one (who I had broom ready...) just walked over...Nellie pecked her once on the face and she walked away and the rest of the night went fine. I was so happy! The next day Nellie was limping again (Maybe jumping off the roost in the morning?) and it looked like some of the girls started picking on her. One time when I was in there moving them from one run into the bigger run and as nelly walked past me she went over and gave the mean girl a hearty peck in the face. Then the mean girl went after her big time. Jumped on top of her pecking her head etc...so I pulled her off and separated them for a bit. but for the next two days I saw her hiding most of the time and staying away from the others when they are eating etc...like she was afraid of them. and here is the heartbreaker. Last night I decided to scroll back on the nanny cam to when they perched for the night. Nellie went in way before the others. Then the other sweet girl went up and pushed her. She climbed over her, took her spot, and then pushed her further away. Then the big buff went up and pecked and pecked at her until she moved really far away leaving a space for the mean buff. Then the mean buff took that space and gave Nellie a bunch of pecks just as a little extra measure of mean. I went to "live" on the camera and saw Nellie sitting over where the ladder rests on the roost, not even on a flat surface. So I went down at 1am and took her off the perch and brought her back into the hospital. I think since her leg is getting bad again, they are trying to get rid of the lame chicken. But now that I have her back in the hospital she wants to get out so badly and she seems so unhappy. I want to wait til her leg is fully and completely healed but that could take such a long time! I have no way of dividing my coop in half so that she gets one side and the others get the other because how would they get in or out to lay eggs or roost etc? During the day I could keep her in the dog crate inside the run and take her out at night and put her in the garage? But is being confined to a dog crate in the run almost more cruel because she is on display? Here are pix of the hospital I set up in the garage.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

I'm sorry you're having trouble with the girls. I'm sure you know that the pecking is pretty normal. Did the vet say how long healing would take or suggest you restrict her movement? If she can eat and drink, and her limp isn't getting significantly worse, I would let her stay with the flock, but maybe remove the mean girl to the hospital for a couple of days so she's the one that has to re-integrate.
Also, make sure there are some ground level hiding spots with an entry and exit area so she can get away. If they aren't drawing blood and the limp isn't aggravated by jumping off the roost, I would leave them together.

 

[Dhkoenig]

I'm sorry you're having trouble with the girls. I'm sure you know that the pecking is pretty normal. Did the vet say how long healing would take or suggest you restrict her movement? If she can eat and drink, and her limp isn't getting significantly worse, I would let her stay with the flock, but maybe remove the mean girl to the hospital for a couple of days so she's the one that has to re-integrate.
Also, make sure there are some ground level hiding spots with an entry and exit area so she can get away. If they aren't drawing blood and the limp isn't aggravated by jumping off the roost, I would leave them together.

Yeah I think you might be right - but so torn. The doctor did say 4-6 weeks but I thought he might be a little over the top with that so once I saw her looking pretty normal I put her back in and then almost immediately the next day it was back to limping again. But now it looks like Frannie is sad (that is the other sweet motherly one) so maybe I should put the two mean buffs in the hospital for a couple of nights. OR Bring frannie in with Nellie for a day or two until Nellie's leg heals up a bit and then return them and swap them out? LOL. I am really meddling aren't I?!

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

What was the injury? They can take a while to heal. If the vet said to restrict movement, you might need to do that.

 

[Dhkoenig]

What was the injury? They can take a while to heal. If the vet said to restrict movement, you might need to do that.

yeah UGH I am sure you are right. It is a soft tissue injury to her leg/hip. I am wondering if I should just bring Frannie in with her so they have each other. ?? If only I could read chicken minds - my husband tells me i wouldn't get much LOL

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

If Frannie doesn't mind the change, and is still nice, that could work.

 

[springvalley123]

so sorry to hear about the discord in the flock. Some birds just won't get along. And there'll always be a bottom bird. But, not to the point of injury. I wonder if (after the weak one recovers), you could put her with just the nicest one, and see how that goes on the nanny cam? Re integrating like you described, but watching the nanny cam each time you add a bird in with the injured one, might give you insight. As it is, I'd be at a loss without rehoming either the injured one or the very meanest one. If you rehome or put down the injured one, someone else will have to take her place at the bottom. I do have a pullet still recovering from a leg injury, but she only had to be separated for a few days in a crate, and more days/weeks in a 20 sq ft area with "physical therapy" back with the flock. But, I could only reintroduce her after I had to cull the meanest who were on top of her pecking her as I was setting up her hospital crate. And I was introducing marans sex link pullets into 18-month-old andalusians! I sure wish you well, and btw, your hospital setup looks wonderful!

 

[Dhkoenig]

UPDATE of the happy variety (knock wood) she seemed really strong late morning today so I took the other girls out to the bigger run and I gave her the entire run/coop all morning and she wasn't limping. So then I built an enclosure within the run and it was a great way to alternate them around. Put her in there for a while and then ushered the other girls back into that run and then I picked her up and put her out in the big run, so everybody got sunshine and fresh air but she will sleep in the garage tonight to rest her legs. Thanks all for the moral support!