Reintigrating a hen with a bald spot

[LittleAppleChicken]

In the spring, I got four new pullets. One of them, the only white one, was very badly hen pecked by the others, entirely removing her scalp. Amazingly, she's healed but there is a bald spot where the feathers aren't returning. Can she ever be returned to the flock, or will they just peck her bald spot? I heard that blue treatment that you can put on wounds to discourage pecking but I was afraid they might start pecking on her after it wears off.

I'm okay keeping her separate but ideally she'd get to interact with other hens.

 

[aart]

I've found that the blue stuff often just attracts more pecking behavior, especially on a white bird.

It's not the bald spot that will be a problem with returning her to the flock, it's the fact that she's a 'stranger' and will be attacked as an intruder....and single birds are the hardest integration.

Knowing more about your flock,
your flock size(numbers, ages, genders),
your coop(size in feet by feet with pics),
might offer clues to viable suggestions.

It often helpful to put one of the flock into the single birds enclosure. Might have to try a few to find one that will get along. Then add another or two after a week or three...until you have 2 approximately same sized 'sub-flocks' ...then integrate them all together.


This article might help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock.71997/

and here's some tips on....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

 

[LittleAppleChicken]

We have two connected runs that are inside a larger enclosure. One is a very small run connected to a chicken tractor that was given to us by some friends leaving the country. The area available to the hen is 6x4. That's where the white hen has lived for weeks now, ever since her head healed enough to be away from the brooder lamp and extra comfort measures. That run is right next to a 8x8 enclosure that is connected to a 8x4 hen house. The isolated hen and the other hens have been able to see each other for the whole summer.

A few weeks back, I had our only bantam go broody and put her in with the isolated hen to keep her from sitting on eggs. The two of them did fine, though the bantam was frantic to be reunited with the rest of her flock.

As for how many birds we have, I will say that we have three more than we intended. Last spring, we started with three chicks. They were laying by this spring. We bought 4 pullets this spring, the now "bald" bird being one of those four. We had intended to have those 7 birds. My husband is a professor at a local university. A student was keeping hens on his apartment balcony (yes, in a 400 square foot apartment with two dogs and a cat.) He had to leave school and return home out-of-state, and I took in his three hens, who were the same age as my four pullets. I successfully integrated them with the rest of the flock (by then, the injured hen was already removed.)

The larger enclosure that the two runs are in is 20x20.

I've found that the blue stuff often just attracts more pecking behavior, especially on a white bird.

It's not the bald spot that will be a problem with returning her to the flock, it's the fact that she's a 'stranger' and will be attacked as an intruder....and single birds are the hardest integration.

Knowing more about your flock,
your flock size(numbers, ages, genders),
your coop(size in feet by feet with pics),
might offer clues to viable suggestions.

It often helpful to put one of the flock into the single birds enclosure. Might have to try a few to find one that will get along. Then add another or two after a week or three...until you have 2 approximately same sized 'sub-flocks' ...then integrate them all together.


This article might help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock.71997/

and here's some tips on....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

 

[aart]

Sounds like you have space to make a meet and greet enclosure.
Do some 'juggling'....mix and match who is with whom throughout the day.
It'll shake up the pecking order.
Lots of 'hiding places' in the runs can help a great deal.