My Fussy...How does one get a nervous chick/hen to calm down?

thndrdancr

Songster
12 Years
Mar 30, 2007
2,211
95
246
Belleville, Kansas
I have my EE, Fussy, and she is just getting more and more nervous and jumpy. She is only 8 weeks, but at this rate, she will give herself a heart attack.

She will calm down if I talk soothing, but I cant be out with her 24/7 to smooth talk the silly girl. She has been extremely this way since little Fandango died 3 weeks ago. She was very attached to her and had taken to "mothering" her since she was so much smaller. The other chicken, Red, it hasnt seemed to affect, except for that night. A bit of it seems to be, when the little one died, I started crying and swooped down to get her out of the box, and now I think Fussy thinks someone is gonna either swoop down and get HER, or the other chick. If I pick Red up, Fussy goes bonkers, and runs after me like I am gonna kill her best friend. She would rather I pick HER up, than the other chicken, and its not jealousy, its sheer panic.

Thats not all, she just is a nervous wreck all the time. Hard to explain, she was always a little on the jumpy side, but Fandango never startled at ANYTHING (I even thot she might be deaf, but found out she wasnt, cuz she would run thru the house straight to me if she heard me calling from the other room) so I think it calmed Fussy to have one around that just never startled. Fussy has taken that trait up now where she will hunt me down. Fandango could see in the dark, and I THINK the sun hurt her eyes, so perhaps that was why she didnt startle so much, or she was just a super unusual chick. (Gosh I miss the lil bugger and wished I had tried harder to feed her, and knew about Penetran earlier).
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I dont know where to FIND a chicken that doesnt startle. From what I know, almost all of them startle at loud noises, someone looming over them, etc. Its really ruined the dynamics of chickendom for my Fussy, she just cries and wants attention constantly. I dont think she is still grieving, she seems to be over that, but how do I calm this chickens nerves down? Her poop even is real black and runny almost all the time. I have been giving her rice the last two days, and it seems to have helped, but she gets the runs big time when she gets upset, which is SEEMS to be about 20 hours out of the day, and its not a health thing, its just plain sheer nerves. sigh..

Worried mother to my two kids.
Jill
 
What about bach's Rescue remedy?
Not sure on its use in chickens, but you can use it for horses or so I heard, I give it to myself and kids when we fly!
 
Maybe this is funny, but I had never really heard of Rescue remedy.
I think I need some for myself too.
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I HAVE been fretting a LOT about finances and some other things, so I am sure my stress is not helping her. I think she is a very sensitive chicken.
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Anyone know if its ok to use on a chicken in a minute dose???
 
I'm close to certain you can use it for just about any living thing, but perhaps you can do a web search and find out more.
Its amazing stuff!
 
I had a very fussy EE hen years ago who was the same way. Her name was Mercury and she was fast as lightning. When we had a predator attack, she was the only one to come out with no injuries. All the others died. Her flightiness was what saved her.
 
what really calms them down is to let them run around in a little pen out side for a while. So they can get thier wiggles out!!! well only if they dont need the light anymore?
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I do believe it would help her in the case of an attack, I am sure her flightiness would save her. I am just afraid she will have a nervous breakdown in the meanwhile.
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She does much better when I am able to let her free range for a few hours, but its been so rainy, and we had two days straight, that doesnt help at all.

Thanks for the help, all.

Jill
 

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