Not right in the head chicken :(

[OliviaDeHav]

Ok, here is the long tale of woe for Lucy.... She was really ill when we first got her.... I thought her behavior was due to her "illness", but now after watching her for all this time (she is 6 weeks old now) I am seeing she is a TAD off in the brain dept....
When we first got her, she just stood and stared at the walls and the others would be running around her and knocking her around and she'd just stand there. She was weak, so i thought this was it.... But, i am thinking maybe she did not get adequate water in shipping or prior and it was too hot? Maybe her brain got a little fried? No joking really, she is not "normal"
I have her seperated because she won't stop puffing up and posturing to fight. Only she is NOT agressive...if this makes sense. It is like she knows she is weaker (she is still not tops in health) and trying to puff up to a "avoid" a fight, but instead invites it! She is sooooooo sweet....folllows me around the yard, lets me pick her up and pet her. I have had her out free ranging with the others and she does "ok" in that setting, but still randomly runs up and confronts the others (tow of whom are WAY larger!). she also seems to watch the others to see what they are doing and copies them.... it is kind of cute and sad at the same time. She also will keep doing something over and over and over and over again even though it won't work. None of the others do this like her.
I am going to keep her seperated as the others attack her horribly!! She confronts them and they react and it was horrible when i tried her in their run!!! LIke cock fighting.... not pecking. I went through that when i put the little ones with the larger 2.... this is really viscious stuff!!!
I'm planning on continuing the free ranging stuff and seeing if i can't get them all together in the run/coop.... She is not doing super, but is a fighter (obviously)..... OH when the others pick on her, she runs under my legs or finds me and hides behind me! So far, i think she's better by herself with just us to hang with... although she gets along with George ok...
Thanks for listening.........

 

[teach1rusl]

Poor little thing. It's hard when one is kind of an outcast... Since she sees you as her protector, maybe she should become a house chicken...lol. Many folks do it. They do sell chicken diapers on the auction from time to time..lol.

 

[spish]

i have a young roo who is just the same...we had him (and siblings) since one day old and he's always been different. never quite grew as fast and now at 18 weeks old, you'd think he was about 10 weeks old!
the other chickens trample him to the ground, they practically walk all over him and he just takes it. on many occasions ive found him lying in the grass wings stretched out and head at a bent anger (as if he were dead) but it seemed it was his 'ive just been trampled again' pose, and he doesnt move until everyones gone (like he was playing dead!)

ive now put him in one of the grow out enclosure with chicks who are smaller than him so he cant get trampled anymore. he too is the sweetest little thing, you can pick him up, he'll follow, always there to great you...just not what id call a strong chicken and he never will be

 

[crj]

I have a hen that is now like that. She had gotten very sick. We can't figure out what happened. Two weeks ago she was near dead. I had just come home from the hospital for neck surgery and saw her just laying in her coop. She was separated due to heavy molting and being picked on.

The first and second night I thought for sure that was it. I still can't believe she made it through the night. She has gotten much better but not enough to put her back outside. I think she got a bit brain damaged because she can't seem to see now, just a little out of one eye. Still nursing her back to health but I don't know what the future brings for her. I doubt she will ever be right in the head. I don't want to keep her in the house either. Cross your fingers she will get well enough to live outside even is she will be alone. Sweetest bird too. Her name is Nellie.

 

[OliviaDeHav]

That was the first thing my hubby said... NO house chickens

I could just see Lucy and my cat Smudge hanging out and cuddling! It is nice, i guess, to know there are others with a similar situation.... sad as it can be....
Her feathers are not as nice as the others either.... she is just not "healthy" looking.... I wish she'd not present an agressive front to the other chickens, because i think they'd just ignore her.... They don't lash out until she runs up to them and puffs out. They are usually just minding their own business pecking the ground when she does this.
The 2 bigger girls are good with her.... Will post pictures to my page at some point..... a Lucy Lu update

 

[OliviaDeHav]

Quote:
What is that they do when they lay down like that? My hens do it off and on... is it a sign of submission? like when a dog tucks his tail??

 

[noodleroo]

Just thought I'd mention that my 'bottom of the pecking order' hen's name is Lucy and I call her 'Lucy Lu', too....

 

[OliviaDeHav]

Quote:
Is that your lucy lu in the avatar photo? My lucy lu is.... i think.... a buff rock..... she was suppose to be a buff orpington, but her legs are really yellow and she looks like a buff rock. I started with Lucy because compared to the others, her head looked red....so i thought lucy ball, but then it turned to lucy lu....

 

[drumstick diva]

You mentioned she gets along with George. Is George a rooster? Maybe you could keep them together in their own area.

 

[justbugged]

A lot of times when a chick isn't right the others know it, and will try to kill it. It is kind of the way nature is. I think that this is what is going on for the most part from what you have described. Because you have taken very good care of the chick you have changed to rules slightly in this chicks favor. I would never guarantee that this chick will be able to stay with a normal healthy flock, even as a bottom of the pecking order chick. It is okay to keep trying ,but it may need a special coop, or place indoors with you for the rest of it's life. I am sure that there will be someone that will have a story about getting all the normal chicks and the one special chick to become a normal flock. But I do know that each chick is unique, and there are a lot of different things can happen to a chick before we take them home. So it looks like you a have a very cute special needs chick. I am sure that there will be blessings for caring for it.