Nerd Bird

[GreenEggsHam]

We have nine chickens in our flock, six of that are almost six months old and recently started laying, The three others are about six weeks younger two wyndottes and one easter-egger. We were keeping the younger ones together but separtated from the others for their own safety. Then the wyndottes started pecking the EE badly to the point of an open wound. We separtated them from the EE'er and were recently able to merge them into the main flock after a rough few first days of them getting picked on badly. It actually reminded me of that TV Special where they had so-called tough teenagers in a real prison listening to adult convicts..."Scared Straight".

Anyway whenever we try to mix our nerd EE'er with any of the others she gets horribly abused and you can see she then panic's and runs blindly. I'm starting to wonder if something is wrong wth her, she seems to often keep her beak open and seems kind of "not right" we all have started calling her "Gooney Bird"...I guess what I'm asking is what's the best way to get the other birds to accept her into the group without killing her first? She is also very tame and friendly toward people with all the one on one attention we give her. I hate leaving her in her small coop by herself all day while the others freerange. Anyone know of a Chicken Karate school in Florida we can send her too?

 

[Mahonri]

We have an Ameraucana roo we have named Spaz.

I can't wait until he gets some cajones and will fight back a little.

 

[Judy]

Gee, my EE's are the bullies of the bunch. But I had another hen like that. I just kept reintroducing, also carried a stick to herd the others away from her at treat time. Eventually she got herself established and is now not even at the bottom of the pecking order, although she does tend to hang by herself. Mine free range too. Seems like she should be able to get away from them when needed. Of course I have no idea whether my intervention made any difference, or if she just figured out how to live with the flock.

Just keep trying, I guess. Maybe let her out after the others have wandered away from the coop in the AM.

 

[waibel zoo]

This is going to sound mean but when I introduce a new bird to the flock I sit there with a hose on center or a squirt bottle on stream. The attackers get soaked. It takes about an hour, but eventually they learn bothering the new comer only gets them wet.

 

[crazy hen quartet]

This is going to sound mean but when I introduce a new bird to the flock I sit there with a hose on center or a squirt bottle on stream. The attackers get soaked. It takes about an hour, but eventually they learn bothering the new comer only gets them wet.

Heh heh... we have a bully in our bunch... there is a big dish in our girls pen that I fill with water for them to stand in. Sometimes when I am filling it (and the sprayer is on center) I will catch the bully in the act and will give her a little blast from the hose. I hate to say it, but it is really funny and I smile a little for the hen that was being picked.