Ptsd?

[chickenGRAFFITI]

My white silkie hen (Viviana) has had a rough couple months and now she is simply sulking and growling mad all of the time. She just does not seem to be getting over it.

Background: I have a flock of 5 and there was quite a change2 months ago. The flock consisted of 2 Roosters (1 showgirl and 1 silkie) and 3 silkie hens. They were all raised together from babies but came from different breeders. Viviana had a sister who was her twin and they did Everything together. They were never more than 2 feet apart when the free ranged all day and they slept next to each other. They were certainly the best of friends and had a special bond. Well all at one time both her sister and the head rooster died (on the same day of different medical causes despite a multitude of treatments) and this was right after the other hen (Uma) went broody and was separated. Overnight the flock of 5 that she had known went down to just her and the showgirl roo (Icarus aka “Icky”) whom she absolutely cannot stand. I know it was a real shock for her and on top of all of that she matured to laying her first egg three days later.

Fast forward and it seems as though the changes have made her bitter. She used to be the first one in my lap every day and now she really does not want to have anything to do with me (and I have spent A LOT of time with her). She hates Icky and screams Rape every time he tries to mate with her (it really sounds awful with the shrill she lets out). She keeps to herself and does her own thing including spending a great deal of her evening time in solitude in the nest box. She sleeps in the nest box and screams at me as though she is broody but I know she is not as it has been going on like this for months. I reintroduced Uma and the 2 new silkie chicks and she hates them. She is constantly chasing and pecking the chicks and growls at Uma whenever she gets close to her personal space. She has her own feeder and water dispenser and I separate out the treats so they don’t compete for them so it isn’t a food territory thing.

I just don’t know…. Is she ever going to get better? Has anyone else had a hen with Trauma and is there anything I can do?

Best
RNM

 

[Serrin]

Sounds a little bit like Rosie, my 1+ year old BR hen. First she lost her sister LizzyBeth to a hawk. A couple of weeks later, she lost her other sister to a dog. That upset her enough that she stopped laying for nearly 3 months. Then I introduced a new (and our first) rooster to the flock. She hated him for the first two weeks. She'd chase him off every chance she got and as a result, she was his last conquest of the entire flock. But ever after that day, Rosie was completely, utterly and totally in love with him. Talk about devoted to your man!

She slept with him every night and spent all day never far from his side.

Then Griffin had to go to a new home. He was a perfect fit for my girls, but not with me. I'm sorry, but I draw the line at blindsiding me when all I'm doing is laying out FEED! So, off he went, along with two of his other ladies, to a new home. Rosie has gone from bad to worse ever since then with regards to her attitude towards EVERYONE!! Not just me, though I do sense a certain special animosity that she harbors for me alone. She KNOWS it was me who sent the love of her life away.

We currently have 5 older girls that are 4+ years of age, and then 17 youngsters that are just shy of 4 months old. Rosie is right in the middle and won't have a single thing to do with any of them. All day long, Rosie is the loner. She can often be found all by herself down at the compost heap. At night, she roosts entirely by herself on the very top rung of the roosting ladder. She will NOT allow a single soul to share it with her. Anyone who tries it gets severely pecked and slapped for their efforts.

I too keep hoping that in time she'll discover one or two of the pullets are as sweet as I keep telling her they are and make a lasting friendship with one or more of them. But when she slaps or puts the run on all who would approach her, I don't see it as happening any time soon.

She may be destined to always be my little loner of the flock. That wouldn't be so bad if she at least had any affection for me at least. Then I wouldn't feel as though she were so completely alone. But, like they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. *sigh*

Good luck with your little silkie. I hope she snaps out of it soon. I hate seeing them be alone and lonely.

 

[silkiechick236]

How sad

 

[Mrs. K]

Your chickens are making you unhappy, send them down the road, and start over! I don't think either chicken is going to change. Sometimes life happens unfairly. If this was a child, then one would need to spend a great deal of time trying to overcome this, but a chicken does not have the brain to really reason with. I think that just like roosters, or horses or dogs, there are great ones out there, and sometimes things beyond your control happen and mentally the animal is ruined as a pet.

MrsK

 

[chickenGRAFFITI]

Mrs. K :

Your chickens are making you unhappy, send them down the road, and start over! I don't think either chicken is going to change. Sometimes life happens unfairly. If this was a child, then one would need to spend a great deal of time trying to overcome this, but a chicken does not have the brain to really reason with. I think that just like roosters, or horses or dogs, there are great ones out there, and sometimes things beyond your control happen and mentally the animal is ruined as a pet.

MrsK

Wow! That seems very harsh for a site dedicated to animals. But that is me and every has their own opinion.​

 

[Mrs. K]

No offense intended. I just do not see a lot of chance for a better relationship than the one you have with your chicken. Maybe others will have other advice. I do like animals, and have lots of them, I have long learned to live with the reality that if you have pets, death and dying is a real part of the living with them, and sometimes it is a relief.

I was trying to say not to feel guilty if it does not work out. Sorry. MrsK

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

I must agree that these things happen in the lives of people, animals-anyone-and sometimes we can do nothing about it. When my flock was very young, our Turken and Wyandotte pullets were the best of friends. Always together, sharing treats, and very,very close. At the time, half of our flock was made up of roosters that everyone had been raised with. When they began to fight amongst themselves for the small amount of hens available, we were forced to part with them. As soon as they were gone, I noticed a great change. The Turken and Wyandotte girls became very separate and reserved, rarely 'hanging out' anymore. Today, the Turken is the more dominant, and they are all but buddies now. They seemingly want nothing to do with each other.

Alot can throw chickens off. Most of the time, it ends badly and the animal in questions tends to never be quite the same when trauma comes into play. Whether your hen 'snaps out of it' or not is up to her. If not, just give her some lovin'. We all deal with stress and change in different ways-even animals that don't share the same thinking processes as human beings.

Also adding, keeping her with a young rooster could be adding to the stress. On top of losing her buddies, I doubt mating has been on the mind at all. If she seems uninterested and untorlerating of him, it can bring out the irritable beast in her. She is probably more defensive now that she has to start over again with a new pecking order-that is tough work that can make any bird cranky. Prepare yourself for the worst-but don't give up. I'm firm believer that the most thorough way to a chicken's heart is through their stomach.

Doesn't seem like it now, but when she's ready, she may just come back to you. Wait and perhaps this will happen; becon with open arms. She may surprise both of us. No promises, though.