Re-establishing pecking order after having briefly removed a hen

[lwat81]

Hi everyone,
I'd like to get a little feedback on an issue I'm having. Recently, one of my hens (Olivia) was demonstrating some signs of illness (lethargy, drifting from the flock). I took her to the vet and have been giving her some meds and have brought her inside in order to get healthy. She was inside for 3 days. She was doing better, but then I brought her outside today and that's when things got uglier. I have 3 hens currently, and Olivia was second in command. My third in command (Clarice) has suddenly gotten very territorial, and it has been BRUTAL! I tried to let them fight it out as much as I could stand it, but inevitably brought Olivia back in because she was bleeding and looked like she was worn out. My question is this: how do I proceed after this? I have a large-ish fenced in back yard where they typically free range and a smaller run where I keep them isolated. I also have an old root cellar in my basement where sometimes I bring them when there's extreme temperatures. In short, I have some options in terms of space, luckily, but I'm just not entirely sure how to approach/re-introduce Olivia. I've had to quarantine hens before and then re-introduce, but I've never experienced this level of drama. Could be that Olivia is still ill and Clarice is picking up on it and being even more brutal. I don't know, but this sucks, and I would appreciate any insight/options on how to proceed. Thanks! -Laurel

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Separate them by a fence for about a week before trying to let them mingle again. Sometimes things gr8 worked out through a fence without all the fighting.

 

[Mrs. K]

Separating birds often cause more problems than it is worth. Clarice was at the bottom and is desperate not to go there again. Usually it is the lowest bird that is the most mean to a new comer.

Separate and see each other is good, might be pull Clarice and keep her by herself and see how the rest of the flock behaves.

I would rather worry about whatever the sick bird had, going through my flock. This is why a lot of chicken keepers either cull a sick bird, or treat all of the birds in the flock.

Mrs K

 

[lwat81]

Thanks, Mrs K. We've separated Clarice from the other two and have brought her inside for a few days. We are then going to keep her separate from the other two--in the run by herself-- for another few days. I agree--I would typically let them try to just duke it out, but it seemed like Clarice almost killed Olivia in doing so and therefore separation seemed necessary.

Since separating Clarice, the other two are doing very well with one another. I'm hoping that a few days in the run by herself may allow Clarice to see what's going on and not try to fight so hard for that second position. I'll provide an update in a few days. I don't think this solution will be a miracle worker, but I'm hoping they won't kill each other.