Reintegration of a sick chicken

bjm287

In the Brooder
Nov 28, 2020
15
9
14
Northern Vermont (USDA zone 4b)
Hi all
I'm hoping maybe someone can help, last Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving we had a chicken who fell ill of sour crop. We brought her in close to roosting time that night. We have had her inside since getting healed up. Today is Tuesday so 5 ish days later and we are ready to begin reintegration to the flock.
Can someone please give me advice on how to take her back to her friends? For reference she is 1 of 3 white leg bars, 3 RIR, and 4 silver lace Wyandotte. There are also 3 ducks that live in the same coop and area. They do not have a run per say. It is a large 50x20 or larger fenced off area.
I'm also concerned because she has been indoors in my house which is kept at about 60-65 degrees and we live in northern Vermont so it is averaging 30 degrees put or lower right now. I dont want to shock her
 
This might be a bit of a wreck. And I would not do an all or nothing. I would put her in a crate out in the run. Then move the crate into the coop. The temperature swing really won't bother her that much. In SD our daily temperature swing is easily 50 degrees, and often times more.

The other birds will not likely remember her, treat her as a stranger, and can attack her. Adding a single bird into an established flock can be hard, especially if you are tight for room?

If adding her back does not go well, you could add a single bird to her, let them get it settled and getting along, then add one or two more to them, and then all back with the flock. A royal amount of dinking around, but separating birds often times causes a lot of problems.

MRs K
 
This might be a bit of a wreck. And I would not do an all or nothing. I would put her in a crate out in the run. Then move the crate into the coop. The temperature swing really won't bother her that much. In SD our daily temperature swing is easily 50 degrees, and often times more.

The other birds will not likely remember her, treat her as a stranger, and can attack her. Adding a single bird into an established flock can be hard, especially if you are tight for room?

If adding her back does not go well, you could add a single bird to her, let them get it settled and getting along, then add one or two more to them, and then all back with the flock. A royal amount of dinking around, but separating birds often times causes a lot of problems.

MRs K
That sounds very similar to my plan so far. I was thinking kennel her out for the day time and still bring her out at night until she can't begin to get along at day time. Thinking maybe try to get the ducks to accept her? They're protective of another chicken we have. After she can begin to wander the flock try putting her up at night and pulling her out before the others wake. Hoping she can go back I had no clue my chances were this slim before I pulled her but I really didn't have much choice she at the time was pretty sick.
 
I can't say about the ducks. don't have any. But be aware, it can be rough.
Yeah from what I was reading i noticed that trend. I'm willing to do what I can to get her back to her flock. I've seen it can take a few months which will be the hardest part since it's winter.
When you say tight on space do you mean the coop? The coop is built for 16 chickens on the large side and currently has 9 (not including my sick girl) chickens 3 ducks but that ducks kind of occupy a doffrent space than the chickens
 
When you say tight on space do you mean the coop? The coop is built for 16 chickens on the large side
How big is that in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.

Do you have a wire crate that you can put into the coop?
Best to have her in the crate 24/7 with the flock for at least a week.
 
How big is that in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.

Do you have a wire crate that you can put into the coop?
Best to have her in the crate 24/7 with the flock for at least a week.
it is a 4x8 coop. We put her out in a large play pen in the yard today and the girls paid her absolutely no attention. After around 3 hours we decided to try a chicken or two in with her, they didn't peck her even once. We actually ended up letting her out of the pen to see how it would go with the other girls. She spent the rest of the day out with everyone. No one even pecked her and she went up to roost just fine. check her over incase I had missed a peck and nothing.
We plan to watch her really carefully over the next week (she has a leg marker so we can be sure it is her) but I think somehow we got phenomenally lucky.
Some research points to this maybe being because we have all the roost bars at around the same height and the girls get so much room to run, along with 3 separate water and feed stations?
 
The coop is built for 16 chickens on the large side
How big is that in feet by feet?
it is a 4x8 coop.
4x8 is rather tight for 16 birds....unless you live in a mild climate.


Some research points to this maybe being because we have all the roost bars at around the same height and the girls get so much room to run, along with 3 separate water and feed stations?
All those things help.
Glad she fit back in.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @bjm287
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
1607084069015.png
 
4x8 is rather tight for 16 birds....unless you live in a mild climate.


All those things help.
Glad she fit back in.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @bjm287
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2436362
Thanks you for showing me that! I had no idea I could add my location. We live in northern Vermont which is USDA Zone 4a and we are currently going into winter right now.
and my apologies the coop is 6 x 8 feet or so (a little larger). I remember building it for 16 birds based off of 3 square feet a bird (if that's bad information I would love to learn)
We currently house 3 ducks and 10 chickens in the coop. I am not planning to add anymore to this coop because I wanted them to have ample space and not be tight ( also chicken math can happen and this is my first flock)
Our climate isn't very mild.. we get down to negative 10 F in winter and up to the 90's F in summer time. My goal is to only have the 10 birds in the coop so that they have room to breathe and have a bigger coop on our next property.
 

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