New hen gets beat up by rooster

[R.J.]

I got a new hen yesterday 18mo and put her in with my 18mo rooster who has 2-10 mo old hens with him already. When I put her in she avoided everyone and went straight to the roost. I went inside to get some scratch to throw down so they could get to know each other and when I came back the rooster was beating up the new hen. She was just laying on the ground and the rooster kicking and pecking on her head. I immediately picked her up and looked her over she was bleeding on her face area that all I could tell that was wrong. I cleaned her up and gave her some chicken vitamins and put her in a pen byherself she stayed on the roost and closed her eyes. Today she's moving around very slowly and staying on the ground but she is eating and drinking a little. Looks like she's sore or in pain. Should I give her some pain meds like advil or something like that? How much if I do?

 

[Cecisflock]

You could give her a baby asprin and did you quarantine her before introduction?

 

[Cecisflock]

also pics and I'm assuming she is quarantined right now? If not she should be. These introductions NEED to be slow, especially with roos

 

[Geena]

Chickens often see other strange chickens as intruders that need to be driven away. You'll need to integrate her more carefully. Where's @aart at when you need her?

 

[R.J.]

You could give her a baby asprin and did you quarantine her before introduction?

Quarantine? No.. I did wash her though and gave her a worm pill

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know anything about pain killers or other drugs for chickens. I think I'd trust @casportpony as much as anyone else on that or at least to know who to contact.

It's too late for quarantine. Don't worry about that at this point.

Often adding a mature hen to a flock of mature hens and a mature rooster is a piece of cake. The rooster usually accepts the new hen into his flock. She still has to work out the pecking order with the other hens, sometimes that is easy, sometimes it's a pain. Obviously that is not working in your case.

Somehow that rooster sees her as a threat to his flock or to his position as the dominant flock master. It's hard to know which even when you are there looking at them. My guess is that she did not show him proper deference as flock master so he showed her who is boss. Or if she got in a pecking order fight with another hen he may have been protecting his hen. In any case, with her laying down she had given up any fight and he was was trying to kill her. Pecking at the head when they are down is a good way for one chicken to kill another.

So what can you do? Keep her separated until she heals. If she is lethargic and not eating or drinking much I'd try sugar water or electrolytes. I use hummingbird liquid. Use a medicine dropper and put a single drop of liquid on the tip of her beak. Do not try to force anything down her throat, you could drown her. The water part should help hydrate her. Keep putting drops as long as she drinks it. The sugar should give her instant energy, hopefully enough to get her interested in eating and drinking on her own.

Once she is healed enough I'd house her across wire from the other chickens for a week or two, give them a chance to get used to each other. Then try it again. Give them as much room as you can and be around to observe. See how it goes.

 

[casportpony]

Chickens can have meloxicam, ibuprofen, and aspirin, but not very much, and honestly, If she were my hen I would not give her any.

You could give her a baby asprin and did you quarantine her before introduction?

A whole baby aspirin is way too much. The dose is 2.27 mg per pound of bodyweight three times a day.

 

[aart]

Where's @aart at when you need her?

I was outside building an awning....I assume you wanted to see this:
Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/