New chicken, super flighty or maybe even a bit wild

[Huntress33]

You all have been so helpful so far.

I am trying to integrate just one new bird (Salt) to my small flock of 4. My girls have been generally tolerant. Salt is extremely submissive and non-confrontational. They are all about a year old. After 3 weeks, I have seen her out scratching or sunning near the flock (although she also spends a significant amount of time hiding in the dog's house).

The issue I am facing now is that she is quite flighty. She will not let me within 10 feet of her. She scares so easily. This chicken literally screams when she is scared. She is quick, agile and can fly well too. I have been trying to win her over with treats, but she doesn't seem to want anything I put out for her (soldier fly grubs, strawberries, blueberries, scratch, greens). She freaks out when I set anything in her area and I come back hours later and she doesn't touch them. The only thing she allows me to do is close her crate at night and bring her food - even then, she is still very wary of me, but tolerates it. How do I earn her trust? I need to be able to handle her some.

Without sufficiently traumatizing her, I cannot pick her up and stick her in the coop at night and she is not willing to go in there on her own. I have been able to convince her that her little crate is her safe place. She goes in there at night and I put her into the coop in that, as that is the best I have been able to do.

I hatched my girls and they all will come to me when I call them. Salt is just plain terrified. I realize she may never be as trusting as the original 4 - but there has to be a way to start moving forward with our relationship. She is a really sweet hen and I really want to help her integrate.

Anything to offer that might help??? Thank you!

 

[Mrs. K]

Ignore her, and go sit with them, for just a few minutes a day, then a little longer the next day. Try not to touch her at all, do not approach her at all, try not to even look at her, B=but feed the others, talk to them. Eventually, she will calm down and want a snack too. She may never be a lap chicken, but she should relax.

However, some breeds are much more excitable than others. Personally, I never handle my birds, and they seem to do just fine. If I had to handle them, I use either a chicken hook, or wait til dark.

Mrs K