Hi everyone~
We're fairly new here since we just got our first chickens---4 buff orpingtons---in April, and we love this site and all the members! We've learned so much, and we've received such kind comments on our coop, "Fort Orpington".
We have a problem and we could sure use some help/advice.
We got our 4 buffs as apprx. month-old chicks the first week of April, from MMcM, so they are now about 4 months old. One of the ladies is slightly small, and she has always seemed like the 'odd man out', so to speak. The other hens do not pick on her, but she is always slightly behind them when they are out foraging. When we bring out the 'magic bowl of grapes' for treats every day, she NEVER approaches and takes any. We have to throw some to her, and distract the 3 others, or they try and take them away from poor Maisie. She always seems, well, nervous, and she has 'freak outs'.
An example was yesterday. I went into the run and the 3 other hens ran out to free range, which they all love, but Maisie freaked out completely seeing them on the other side of the wire and couldn't seem to figure out how to get to the door of the run and go, and would not go past me. She flew up, beating herself against the hardware cloth, squawking. I finally got hold of her and took her out, but I held her for awhile petting her head. She made clucking noises the whole time, like she was scared.
She never seems to 'fit in' with the group and we feel so bad for her.
In the morning when I let them out of the coop into the run, the 3 run out and Maisie stands at the little coop door by the ladder, peering out. She finally comes down.
We would like to do something so that she is not treated like the 'nerd' at school and ignored, and it bothers us that she never seems to get any of the treats, unless we can toss her a grape and keep the other birds from taking it away from her.
As I said, she is not being 'pecked' or otherwise mistreated, and when the ladies take their naps outside periodically, they are all 4 in a 'bundle' together.
Poor Maisie just seems way too timid and too 'left out' a lot...
We're fairly new here since we just got our first chickens---4 buff orpingtons---in April, and we love this site and all the members! We've learned so much, and we've received such kind comments on our coop, "Fort Orpington".
We have a problem and we could sure use some help/advice.
We got our 4 buffs as apprx. month-old chicks the first week of April, from MMcM, so they are now about 4 months old. One of the ladies is slightly small, and she has always seemed like the 'odd man out', so to speak. The other hens do not pick on her, but she is always slightly behind them when they are out foraging. When we bring out the 'magic bowl of grapes' for treats every day, she NEVER approaches and takes any. We have to throw some to her, and distract the 3 others, or they try and take them away from poor Maisie. She always seems, well, nervous, and she has 'freak outs'.
An example was yesterday. I went into the run and the 3 other hens ran out to free range, which they all love, but Maisie freaked out completely seeing them on the other side of the wire and couldn't seem to figure out how to get to the door of the run and go, and would not go past me. She flew up, beating herself against the hardware cloth, squawking. I finally got hold of her and took her out, but I held her for awhile petting her head. She made clucking noises the whole time, like she was scared.
She never seems to 'fit in' with the group and we feel so bad for her.
In the morning when I let them out of the coop into the run, the 3 run out and Maisie stands at the little coop door by the ladder, peering out. She finally comes down.
We would like to do something so that she is not treated like the 'nerd' at school and ignored, and it bothers us that she never seems to get any of the treats, unless we can toss her a grape and keep the other birds from taking it away from her.
As I said, she is not being 'pecked' or otherwise mistreated, and when the ladies take their naps outside periodically, they are all 4 in a 'bundle' together.
Poor Maisie just seems way too timid and too 'left out' a lot...