New member here, need advice

[Wisewoman213]

Hi everyone! I've raised chickens years ago and am now helping a friend raise her own flock of hens. They are about a year old and laying well. One hen got hurt when she got a year in her comb. One of the bigger hens started pecking at her and then she was bullied by others to the point where she wasn't thriving, getting enough food and water! Then we found her pretty banged up! They had practically de-gloved a portion of her back of neck. We separated her cleaned and did first aid and she has recovered. All the while being kept separate in the coop from her fellow hens. Now I want to get her back in without the separate cage but am worried about them ganging up on her again. Oh note the hens are a variety of breeds. ie: Rhode island red, Barred Rock, Buff Orpington and she is a Leghorn, smaller than the other breeds. Any suggestions? I'm gonna try and WATCH carefully. Thanks for any tips/suggestions. Colleen

 

[Mrs. K]

Adding a single strange bird is the most difficult - so I am going to suggest not to do that, instead, this will be a bit of monkeying around, but should work.

Go out away from your flock with a treat. Call them and toss it on the ground. You don't want the first birds to get there, or the last birds to get there - the top and bottom of the flock. You want to figure out two or three in the middle.

Take one of those middle birds and add to the victim.; there may be a dust up or two, but one on one, it should settle quite quickly. WAIT 2-3 days. Now go back and add two more middle birds...two on two - again even numbers... Wait again 2-3 days.

Now you want to add the 4 some back to the flock, but watch carefully, and pull out the first 2-3 birds that attack. Usually what happens is there is a wicked leader or two, and the rest are followers. Remove the leaders, and the rest should settle.

Wait 2-3 days, and add the wicked ones back in, maybe one a day.

Mrs K

 

[vintage]

Adding a single strange bird is the most difficult - so I am going to suggest not to do that, instead, this will be a bit of monkeying around, but should work.

Go out away from your flock with a treat. Call them and toss it on the ground. You don't want the first birds to get there, or the last birds to get there - the top and bottom of the flock. You want to figure out two or three in the middle.

Take one of those middle birds and add to the victim.; there may be a dust up or two, but one on one, it should settle quite quickly. WAIT 2-3 days. Now go back and add two more middle birds...two on two - again even numbers... Wait again 2-3 days.

Now you want to add the 4 some back to the flock, but watch carefully, and pull out the first 2-3 birds that attack. Usually what happens is there is a wicked leader or two, and the rest are followers. Remove the leaders, and the rest should settle.

Wait 2-3 days, and add the wicked ones back in, maybe one a day.

Mrs K

This sounds like reallllly great advice! I will save it for future reference!!

 

[Wisewoman213]

This sounds like reallllly great advice! I will save it for future reference!!

Thanks, she isn't a stranger, she is 1 of the whole group but got hurt or pecked that drew blood and from there it went to bullying.

 

[vintage]

Thanks, she isn't a stranger, she is 1 of the whole group but got hurt or pecked that drew blood and from there it went to bullying.

But I believe with extreme bullying, it still helps to isolate and slowly add others to it. I've seen this mentioned before. I've also read that pulling the bullies out can help.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Yes take one of the others out add both back after about 2 days if you have a dog crate can take 2 and her in crate for a few days add the three back at one time

 

[Wisewoman213]

Thank you so much! Truly appreciate your help

 

[Mrs. K]

Thing is, I think you separated her from the flock to heal..so to them, she is a stranger. Was she kept out of sight of the others? If so she is a complete stranger. If she was kept in sight, not so much. I would still go with the idea of adding a bird to her... working that out, then adding a group back to the flock.

 

[Wisewoman213]

Thing is, I think you separated her from the flock to heal..so to them, she is a stranger. Was she kept out of sight of the others? If so she is a complete stranger. If she was kept in sight, not so much. I would still go with the idea of adding a bird to her... working that out, then adding a group back to the flock.

Thank you so much for the input. She has always been a member of the flock from day 1. I did take her out to stitch her up but then put her in a wire cage in their coop so the others could see her but couldn't peck her silly while she healed and gained some weight. So we are going to try the suggestion of taking out 2 of them plus her for a few days and reintroduce. Thanks so much!

 

[Mrs. K]

A lot depends on your set up and space. Sometimes when they attack a single bird - what they are telling you, is this is no longer enough space for all of us, one of us needs to go.

Show pictures and measurements if this is still not working. Adding hideouts, roosts, mini walls, pallets will make it look more cluttered to you, but add a lot of space, under and on top doubles that area, give hideouts and escapes so birds can get away from each other.

Sometimes you just have a vicious bird, that loves a victim. Removing her from the flock might help. Sometimes this works, sometimes she goes right back to it when you add her again.

In small set ups - pin-less peepers have been very successful for stopping this.

Hope some of these ideas help.

Mrs K