Pariah Hen

[Dorothyn]

My small flock has had a lot of upset this week, and I need some advice. Up until a few days ago, I had a 5 year old Isa Brown hen and a 4 year old Australorp hen who were first and second in the flock, plus two 9mo old Rhode Island Red hens and a RIR rooster (not by choice - chicks were not sexed).

About 4-5 days ago I noticed my Australorp was roosting separately from the rest, and then the next day I saw her comb was kind of battered and she was missing feathers on the back of her head. That day one of my RIR hens disappeared from the fenced in yard. I can only guess she flew out somehow and a fox got her, though there are no feathers anywhere within about 50m/yds of the coop.

I separated the Australorp into a neighboring coop for a couple of days to give her a break. I thought I would put the IB, her old buddy, in with her, but within seconds the IB was pecking her, so I took her back out. Then, after 2 days I swapped them, thinking I should isolate the IB.

In the yard today I saw the RIR hen rush the Austalorp with her feathers all ruffed up. Tonight the Australorp was still roosting far away from the RIR hen and rooster, so I put her close to them to see what would happen, and the RIR hen immediately started pecking her, so I moved her back to the other end of the roost.

I'm trying not to anthropomorphise, but the Australorp hen is so pitiful. She's a shell of her former self. She's like the kid who used to be popular, but has somehow fallen from grace and is totally ostracised. When I come to the coop/yard now, she's clingy with me, and even lets me touch her which she never did before. She has stopped laying.

All I've read here says you should isolate the offending hen, but both of the remaining two are harassing her. I've ordered pinless peepers, but they won't be here for 2-3 weeks (I'm in Australia). What should I do?

 

[centrarchid]

Pen the pariah up and inspect her closely for weight issues. Listen to her voice for changes. Check her pupils to determine if both dilated the same. Verify she can see properly by moving you hand at each side of her head. Keep her penned for a few days. My first concern will be a health issue that impacts behavior the other birds pickup on.

 

[Dorothyn]

Thank you for your advice. She reacts to my hand on both sides of her head, and her eyes look the same. She does look and feel like she has lost weight. Once I penned her up separately, her appetite seemed good when I sprinkled pellets on the ground. There is only one feeder in the big coop where they all were, so she's probably been blocked from that. Not sure where to go from here.

 

[centrarchid]

That is good. Early stages of Marek's can cause behavioral issues resulting eviction from social groups.

I would isolate and put her through a treatment regimen to de-worm her. During that interval feed her a higher protein ration with a little egg and dark greens added for good measure. See if her weight returns to normal.

 

[Dorothyn]

I'm running out of options for my poor hen. I separated her for a while and dewormed her, and she improved - feathers grew back on her head, she started laying again and was doing well considering she was alone and could only see the other chickens when they were out in the yard or she was and they were penned up.

I put the peepers on the other two hens, and tried reuniting them, but it did not go well. Within a few days she had a bare patch on her head and her comb showed signs of pecking.

She remains separate from the other two hens and rooster in the yard, and goes back to her interim roost alone at night. The poor thing has stopped laying again, and just seems so lonely.

I'm starting to think the only kind option remaining is to take her to the vet and put her down so she doesn't waste away in a state of chicken depression.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

I'd be open to getting a couple of chicks for her to "raise" if that could work, as I only have one hen laying with any frequency. But I know she could potentially behave badly toward them.