I have had sick hen for a couple of weeks now. The thread about it is here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=610560&p=1
Basic rundown: my 2 1/2 hr old golden comets stopped laying about a month ago. This one hen has had diarrhea for a while, but then became very very ill. Trip to vet diagnosed upper respiratory illness caused by stress of some kind. Antibiotics and TLC indoors in a dog crate has produced enough improvement that I thought I could reintegrate her today.
I brought her out to the coop with one of her 'sisters.' She immediately cowered and went up on the shelf. Whenever she came down they attacked her, pulling her feathers behind her comb and behaving in a very threatening manner. She is pretty strong but not asserting herself back. She is smaller than them mostly because she lost a lot of weight with the illness.
Now I am wondering if the 'stress' that caused her illness was rejection by them earlier for some unknown reason (the diarrhea?) She was skinny even when she first became ill which suggests she wasn't getting enough to eat.
What on earth do I do to encourage them to accept her back, if this is even possible? If they won't accept her back, what do I do with her? (after investing $140 in her recovery)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=610560&p=1
Basic rundown: my 2 1/2 hr old golden comets stopped laying about a month ago. This one hen has had diarrhea for a while, but then became very very ill. Trip to vet diagnosed upper respiratory illness caused by stress of some kind. Antibiotics and TLC indoors in a dog crate has produced enough improvement that I thought I could reintegrate her today.
I brought her out to the coop with one of her 'sisters.' She immediately cowered and went up on the shelf. Whenever she came down they attacked her, pulling her feathers behind her comb and behaving in a very threatening manner. She is pretty strong but not asserting herself back. She is smaller than them mostly because she lost a lot of weight with the illness.
Now I am wondering if the 'stress' that caused her illness was rejection by them earlier for some unknown reason (the diarrhea?) She was skinny even when she first became ill which suggests she wasn't getting enough to eat.
What on earth do I do to encourage them to accept her back, if this is even possible? If they won't accept her back, what do I do with her? (after investing $140 in her recovery)