need advice on isolating one pullet...

[TurtleChick]

hi all!

my lil easter egger has sent my rir to the vet today!

she's alright, though - and will be much better once her pecked-at vent heals up!!! naughty easter egger... my vet advises (and i gather as much from reading posts on the topic) that vent picking can be a very hard habit to break once started, and my other girls can pick it up as well. WHY must they peck each other to this extent??? can't we all just get along??? sigh. my quandry is this: my vet says that if i don't want to risk (and i don't) my rir or one of my two red stars getting pecked this badly again (and my husband really really doesn't want the vet bill again.... eeep.) that i should consider housing my easter egger separately from the other girls. soooooooo. anyone have thoughts/experience in housing someone separate from the flock on a permanent basis? if we did this, we'd build her her own coop right next door to the other girls' coop so that they'd be hanging out right on the other side of wire from each other all day. she'd just be roosting by herself in her own house at night. i think i'd probably still let them all free range together since they are WAY too busy eating tasty bugs for peckage to happen (they free range in our yard for about an hour a day). what do you guys think? would she be happy like that? or would she be better off if i found her a new home with a bigger flock/more space and time to free range? the vet even suggested that we could move her to her own coop and bring in a new friend for her, someone better able to "hold her own" with an americauna. i dunno about that... how the heck would i know she wouldn't just get busy pecking at someone new?????????

(in the meantime, i have plans for separating my rir for her recuperation time.)

opinions are much appreciated in advance!!!

 

[airmom1c05]

A rooster just might put her in her place and keep the peace. My mixed hen is quite aggressive towards the other hens, but she hasn't drawn blood......yet! My rooster is a tiny Serama bantam who tries to keep the peace, but his size does limit him. I am acquiring a Welsummer rooster in a couple or three weeks. Once he is grown, he should take care of much of her feistiness!

 

[bills]

Perhaps you won't need to isolate the aggressive one on a permanent basis. I have read more than once, that keeping the little pecker

, away from the other birds for several days, and then reintroducing her to the flock, may change the pecking order.

If you give this a try, keep watch for the fist while and see if it trys to become the dominant bird again, or if it's put in it's place.

For the sake of one bird, I don't know if building a seperate coop would be worth it. Might be better to give it away, (with a warning to the new owner).

 

[TurtleChick]

thanks, airmom - but we live right smack in the city, and i just can't have a roo (and don't really have room for any more peeps in the coop i have anyway!).

and thanks, too, bills - i may try isolating pecky-pants temporarily... only prob with that is the temp housing i have (dog crate in house at night, wire dog crate outside next to coop during day) is currently occupied by my recuperating chicken... and i've been watching my ee'er taking swipes at the other girls' bums already today, now that her apparently favorite target is outside of reach... sigh.

anyone else have thoughts on the long-term happiness of my ee'er if i build her a separate-but-close coop of her own? she's always been my favorite, and i really don't want to rehome her unless it's a last resort.......

 

[airmom1c05]

Is there not room for a dog crate in the coop? I have one in my coop on a shelf that can double in use: for isolation or for laying/nesting.

 

[nautical_bouy]

I would cull any bird that young causing so much damage. Just my personal though before an established pet or others incur injury.

 

[TurtleChick]

ahhhhhhh, culling's not an option for us... they're already 6mos old (and were pets from the very moment we heard the peeping box at the post office.....) and too much loved. we're this kind of chicken owner: they're our beloved pets who give us eggs as an added benefit!

it's make it work or find her a new home that will work out better for her...

not room for a dog crate in their coop - it's a small backyard dealie. they've got about 40sf in their outside run, 16sf inside their house - and the whole thing is a giant a-frame (looks like a great big tractor, but good luck movin' it!!!). right now my isolated recovering hen is in a dog crate (big huge wire kind) right next to the run - which works fine for right now, but i'd feel terrible if it was her forever home...

i'm goin' crazy. well. i'm actually already there.

 

[airmom1c05]

I wouldn't be able to cull a bird, either. I think the dog crate inside for a few days might improve things. I had read that, too somewhere. The night Brandy attacked one of my new Buff Orps up in the rafters where the little rooster couldn't get, I put her in the dog crate just overnight. She hasn't been so aggressive since then, and it only took one night! I hope you can keep her since she is a pet. Best wishes.

 

[TurtleChick]

no one out there with any input on a pullet/hen living in her own coop next door to the others as a permanent thing???

we really don't have the money to do things twice... i either need to put the money into trying to expand the exsisting coop (but i don't know if more run space would curb the problem - they have their 10sq ft per bird outside already...) OR build a separate coop for turtle and not take the chance on her hurting one of the other girls again OR just rehome her (somewhere she could free range all or most of the time) now and not even bother if she'd just be miserable living by herself.

living in her own apartment next door to the other girls? anyone?

p.s. in the meantime i am going to try isolating her for a short period as soon as her victim is done recuperating in the dog crate... for now i'm keeping a close eye on the other girls to make sure she doesn't peck the others excessively...

 

[LynneP]

How is it going? I've wondered how to handle this- I have a couple of dog crates into which I could put a waterer, roost, and feeder. But if I lad a long-term problem I'd need a long-term solution...whoagh