Need advice on loner hen - possibly injured or stressed?

[chickiepoos]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to chicken keeping and would appreciate any advice on my chicken.

We have a mini-flock of 6 two-month old pullets, raised since they were day-old. One hen has always been a bit of a mellow girl--she's always been the least aggressive to run after food and the last to hop out of the pen to range. She gets distracted easily and is often by herself foraging--we think of her as "spacey."

A few days ago, she got pinned by our dog (yes, the dog is fired from being around chickens)--paw was on her body, but no bites. On examination, she doesn't seem injured. Walking around normally, although not hopping high. Wings are held normally, but she seems fluffed out most of the time.

But now, she's even more mellow than ever. She eats and poops normally, but is now even more of a loner. When everyone else jumps out of the pen, she stays behind with her feathers fluffed. Her energy levels are low. We've been trying to give her special attention, but I'm worried.

Is she traumatized? I don't see any physical injuries, but it's hard to tell. Should I keep her inside with the humans for a while, or leave her with the flock?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Rich386]

I would leave her with the flock.

 

[BCarlin]

My neighbor has a chicken who has been like this for two months. She seems to be bullied by one other hen. I hadn't heard that she has any other incident but when she is brought out will only stay for 5 minutes or so then back in her next box. First thought she was ill but now just seems frightened.

 

[Rich386]

I have 3 roo's. Big red is a bad dood. Buddy who is the same size and age was beat so bad by big red he runs and hides when he sees red. Cry Baby was pecked so badly as a chick he had a hole the size of your palm under his wing and lost an eye. Nursed back to health but to this day hides until I go in the coop. That is when he comes out and stays between my feet. So to answer your question yes they can be traumatized.

 

[chooks4life]

An abnormally quiet chicken has usually already suffered trauma, and the dog may have added to it, though I think it sounds like the dog's done her a minor body injury. Hopefully minor. One of our production reds got deliberately stomped on by a vengeful horse we were agisting. (less chooks = more grain for the sneaky bugger who used to get through the tiny doors into the coops, though mostly blind). She deliberately stomped a few chooks but none died. We called this red 'Nanaleg.' Her body was twisted and crushed all out of shape and she laid soft-shelled eggs that broke at laying for a year after that, and of course had one leg fractured in about 20 or more places and bent completely bananalike.

She survived, long story short, but did spend time in the coop, being still to allow her body to set. One of my hens got jumped up and down on by a wild dog, smashed her to pieces; I kept her sitting in a cat carrier until she let me know she wanted to come out, but to this day her whole skeleton is a mess of fragments. Same for her daughter, but that one due to a rooster.

For a traumatized/depressed chook (it can happen, it's just a low hormonal state) you should give calcium for nerves and honey too, for instance honey and yoghurt, it'll help her perk up and fix quicker if that's her problem, though it sounds like something was wrong with her before the advent of your dog's squishing.

 

[BCarlin]

Good to hear the comments