Pullet with problems and can't get into the flock

[starforever61]

I got my white rock pullet as a chick and her chick friends were part of a "bad batch" and all died. She's the only survivor and she lives alone in a dog cage. Before the last one died, we put them in the coop with the rest of the chickens and I watched them and made sure that while they established the pecking order they didn't kill my birds. Everything was going well so I left for a minute to get something to drink. I got back and one bird was half dead in a bucket and the pullet I have now, Quito, had her head in a hole in the ground. I thought she was dead, but I picked her up and she was fine, just playing dead to keep herself alive.

So I moved her to the dog cage and took the half dead chick back for the farm to raise. It's fine now. So I raised her in a dog cage (large size) in our garage until she could grow up. She got really attached to me and she also developed some mental issues. She scratches for food inside her food bowl. She pecks her water instead of drinking it. It's really weird. It's like she doesn't know how to be a chicken.

Now we're going on vacation soon and she has to live in the coop. I just put her in there on the roosting pole with the hens and she was deathly afraid of my huge Isa Browns. She kept flying back into my arms.

I left her there and I'm getting up early to make sure they don't try to kill her. I don't want her to play dead again because she eventually will be dead if she doesn't eat and drink.

What should I do? Should I return her? Should I let them work it out? Help!

 

[starforever61]

Also my birds could be stressed. They don't get to free range that often and only have adequate space. Not more than enough. Just enough. And they show it.

I would let them free range but we just recently had a fox attack at noon a few days ago.

 

[welasharon]

I have a small bantam hen that my others were hateful to at first. I put a wire cage in the pen with them so they could see her but not attack her. Oddly they would let her roost with them but soon as they were up they tortured her. After a week in the cage I started letting her out and she would fly from the board on top of the wire cage to the roost but she would not get on the ground. I kept food and water on the board along with several other food and water spots so she could eat and drink. Now today I have been able to take the wire cage out and they aren't trying to run her down and kill her any more although pecking if too close still occurs.

 

[heatherindeskies]

can you get a chicken sitter while you are gone? that may be a safe idea...

 

[crawfordmama]

Where are you? I'm in NH and could swing by if you're close...

 

[starforever61]

There aren't any sitters available

I'm far from NH but the wire cage is a good idea. I'll try that and the little girls that are taking care of my adult chickens (they can't go into our garage) can probably move it in and out for night. Could she even stay under a little shelter in the run at night? We have a very sturdy coop. Predators attack but have never gotten in and have never gotten close to getting a chicken.

 

[welasharon]

I actually don't have a coop. Mine are in an open air pen enclosed on all sides with hardware cloth with a tarp on top to protect them from rain and the sun. Their roost/nest boxes are free standing in the center. I plan on having a coop by cold weather but for now the heat and humidity are to be dealt with. The run is 3/4 sand with pine bedding the back 1/4. I put the wire cage on the sand and I hose it down in the mornings for them to dig in. I put a board over the top of it to further protect her from the rain and poop from the others. I have three 4 or 5 month old polishes, a cuckoo marans and the bantam hen in there. It is about 8x10 and the wire cage was app 2x4.

 

[starforever61]

Turns out we're taking her back to the farm where we got her. Thanks for your help, but she just has serious problems that only the people who have dealt with chickens for generations can really help. Sure, I'll miss her. She's the only chicken that ever flew into my arms instead of away. Thanks again, bye!