Other hens pecking my hen around the vent

[rosemarythyme]

Do they strictly stay in the run, or do they get some free range time? Your coop/run is nice, but pretty bare. Boredom is often a factor to consider with bad behavior. Consider adding some clutter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/ to provide hiding spots and something for them to climb up on, and/or piles of dried leaves, yard debris, etc for them to scratch and dig through.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My quarantine chicken is not eating or drinking. She is just sitting up on the roost bar in the dog crate all day. The only thing that seemed to help was meal worms. She did come down and eat them. I opened the garage door for a while so she could look out, but it's cold and her butt doesn't have any feathers, so I closed it. The other chickens didn't skip a beat because of the missing bird. But the confined one sure is down and dejected. Is this normal behavior?

Then something else is going on with her.
I would check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight, look for lice/mites, it may be a good idea to feel for an egg too.

Updated photos of her poop and what she looks like would be good.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

It does seem like there is something going on with her, not feeling well.

 

[mcycle12]

She seems a little bit more perky this morning. She's down off the roost bar and looking around. Here are a couple of photos. Her poop yesterday was solid, with the normal white cap on it. Today it's more runny, from lack of solids I imagine. I tried to put a couple of things in the crate to entertain her, but she doesn't touch them. The purple dish has dirt in it. The water container is just out of sight. I put probiotics in it instead of the usual apple cider vinegar. Oh, and all feels well with the crop.....no egg.

 

[aart]

The water container is just out of sight. I put probiotics in it instead of the usual apple cider vinegar.

Plain water is best.
They should always have plain water available.
There's probiotics in most feeds...and ACV doesn't do much, despite all the claims.

 

[mcycle12]

Plain water is best.
They should always have plain water available.
There's probiotics in most feeds...and ACV doesn't do much, despite all the claims.

OK. I'll change over to plain water. Someone suggested to use that because she wasn't eating. Thanks!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

She seems a little bit more perky this morning. She's down off the roost bar and looking around. Here are a couple of photos. Her poop yesterday was solid, with the normal white cap on it. Today it's more runny, from lack of solids I imagine. I tried to put a couple of things in the crate to entertain her, but she doesn't touch them. The purple dish has dirt in it. The water container is just out of sight. I put probiotics in it instead of the usual apple cider vinegar. Oh, and all feels well with the crop.....no egg. View attachment 2414398View attachment 2414403

She's a pretty girl!
Probiotics are good, keep an eye on her, hope appetite stays strong.

I haven't had any illnesses with my chickens, yet anyway.
Ongoing, I do rotate what can be considered immune system building, have been for decades with my other types of birds, a routine abt every other day, separately not all together adding "natural supplements" a day of just water in betwn. Mon I add 1 teasp of ACV per gallon 1x a week basically for their pH; Wed I add 1 level, not heaping, teasp of minced garlic; Fri I add probiotics. Some people swear by this routine, others say it's a waste, I figure it is worth trying, been doing this since 1987 & have minimal issues, from parrots to Homing Pigeons. I also inoculate.

Many years ago I was a member of a Pigeon racing club, only participated in races abt 4 yrs. On race day we'd bring the few Pigeons we entered to race to the clubhouse. Pigeons are placed in a huge release crate overnight with everyone else's race Pigeons, driven to the release point, then released in the morning to fly home. This exposure to other birds that may not be kept as clean as your own can be dangerous if someone's birds has "something" so at those times, starting a week prior to the race, I added 1 teasp of Sambucus to their water, which is Elderberry, supposed to support & strengthen immune system in case exposed to a virus. I'm no doctor, but I will tell you, 1 summer someone's birds had Adeno virus & of course when the racers flew home they infected entire lofts. Many lost 30 to 50 Pigeons in their flocks. I lost none.

Some people say this stuff doesn't work & I'm not saying for sure if it does or not, but I believe in trying.
I see an herbalist myself & was helped by many natural remedies, after medicines had failed for months, when chemo nearly killed me. I'm just sharing what I do & what seems to work here, not preaching.

Your chicken...is her butt healing & clean? You can clean gently with a wet paper towel, no poo should be oozing, clinging, pasty or dried up on vent area. I've applied a dab of Neosporin or Vaseline at times for a pecked raw spot healing. Other chickens will peck at "anything out of the ordinary" so keeping her apart to heal is good. But when adding a bird back that's been absent for a bit, can be a challenge. I've tried a few things. Added that healed 1 back, but also took the most aggressive (determine who pecks at her butt) away for a time out (can be 1 to 3 days depending on aggression), then added that 1 back to reestablish pecking order without having everyone gang up on the 1st hen simultaneously.

Who knows why someone suddenly picks on someone else in the coop or loft. Sometimes it happens after a group has been together in harmony for years.

Sometimes 1 of my Pigeons would suddenly be mean to a pair nesting on eggs, I'd have to move that grump to another section until after that couple's youngsters could fly. I learned to set up a separate "couple's only" coop during breeding season to avoid that scenario. I gave my broody chicken hens their own sections raising chicks this past spring. Birds are much like people at times, they can get their attitudes, too. Lol

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Do they strictly stay in the run, or do they get some free range time? Your coop/run is nice, but pretty bare. Boredom is often a factor to consider with bad behavior. Consider adding some clutter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/ to provide hiding spots and something for them to climb up on, and/or piles of dried leaves, yard debris, etc for them to scratch and dig through.

Mine get tremendous entertainment from pecking at suspended mealworm cake (suet cake that does NOT have the lard) & a cabbage ball, I like this one as the cabbage lasts a bit longer & doesn't end up on floor.
Chick-N-Veggie Ball https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B072VYJ7CL/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_fabt1_XY-SFbYNQ5M75

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She seems a little bit more perky this morning. She's down off the roost bar and looking around. Here are a couple of photos. Her poop yesterday was solid, with the normal white cap on it. Today it's more runny, from lack of solids I imagine. I tried to put a couple of things in the crate to entertain her, but she doesn't touch them. The purple dish has dirt in it. The water container is just out of sight. I put probiotics in it instead of the usual apple cider vinegar. Oh, and all feels well with the crop.....no egg. View attachment 2414398View attachment 2414403

All feels well with the crop - does that mean her crop was empty/flat this morning before she had anything to eat/drink?

 

[starri33]

My quarantine chicken is not eating or drinking. She is just sitting up on the roost bar in the dog crate all day. The only thing that seemed to help was meal worms. She did come down and eat them. I opened the garage door for a while so she could look out, but it's cold and her butt doesn't have any feathers, so I closed it. The other chickens didn't skip a beat because of the missing bird. But the confined one sure is down and dejected. Is this normal behavior?

Her being down is normal, chickens are flock animals, you could if you can move the dog crate to inside the run, that way they still see each other, but the others can't get to her, I call mine the look but don't touch, I use it when introducing new chicks/chickens to the flock and had to use it when I was nursing a roo back to health after his flock attacked him to the point of drawing blood, they would have killed him had his owner not found him in time. I kept him in the house within hearing distance of my chicks till the wounds healed up and then moved him into a large wire crate I have. His name is Sir Poops A Lot and he's since grown all of his feathers back and moved on to a flock of his own. This is him when I first brought him home, Chickens are amazing creatures, unless you are in sub-zero temps, she's not going to freeze to death. You can always toss a old blanket over the top of the crate to help keep drafts down.