Reintroducing hen - best spatial arrangement?

[All Ball]

Hi, folks -

I have 2 options so far to reintroduce a hen that tangled with a predator to the flock, neither of them great.

Until I have time to set up some temporary but firm fencing, what do you all think would work better?

A. Medium sized plastic dog crate in the chicken yard.
I tried this a couple days ago and it gets her in the midst of the flock, but she doesn't have room to roam or walk, which she needs to keep her legs stretched as she has some muscular issue. The girls are used to cycling around a big yard so it's pretty cramped.

B. Partitioned-off side yard
I have a set up to wall off a side yard with bird netting - she can hang in the garage or come out. The girls cycle over to that side of the yard about 1/4 to 1/3 of the day, so they'd have that potential interaction time. However, I think the girls might treat this as a single flock in a separate space, so it might not help with reintegration, as she is not surrounded by them.

A couple days ago, I let her out into the side yard and she really wanted to join the flock on the other side, after 4 days of separation. Tried a supervised visit but the #2 bully went out of her way to pursue/attack her. Poor thing lost all her energy and stood cowering in the corner, head down - I'm afraid she got reinjured, or else demoralized. She has not had much energy since. A 2-day separation seems short enough for chicken memories, but 4 days is too long.

 

[Shadrach]

If you consider that a broody hen can leave the flock and rejoin after maybe 25 days 4 days isn't very long. Chickens have good memories.
I don't know how serious your hens injuries are but 4 days isn't much recovery time.
I would take the bully out of the flock for an hour or two and see how the injured hen copes with the rest while you supervise.
Your injured hen needs to be fit enough to either defend herself, or avoid the bully. It doesn't sound like she's up to either at the moment, so I suggest more recovery time.

 

[Shadrach]

Sry, trying to do too many things at once.
The longest I've kept an injured chicken away from the rest of her group is three weeks. There were some complications with her wound, which incidentally was also from a hawk attack. The wound was on her back and it had been stapled together but they didn't join the wound edges. Unfortunately she also happened to be the roosters favorite and I couldn't risk the wound getting torn open in mating. The hen hated me for months.
The last week of her confinement was in one of my isolation coops and the others she lived with, including the rooster came by from time to time but didn't show much interest in her. For the last two days I put her in her home coop which has a very small run.
I'm about to go through the whole process again with another injured hen.

 

[All Ball]

Thanks for your advice! Yes, this girl does not have wounds but seems to have been banged around, so am unsure of the internal injuries. She appears very energetic some days, and then not energetic at all, so I'm learning this isn't a smooth trajectory to health. Right now she isn't ready, but I want to get prepared. I think ideally she'd have at least 2x4 space with a shelter in the middle of the chicken yard, in shade.

 

[All Ball]

Thanks - she is eating solids, including seeds she ignored the first few days, so I'll hope your rule holds this time....

 

[Shadrach]

Thanks - she is eating solids, including seeds she ignored the first few days, so I'll hope your rule holds this time....

There's a thread about some of the issues you're encountering here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-it-better-to-let-them-die.1268732/

 

[Shadrach]

Thanks for your advice! Yes, this girl does not have wounds but seems to have been banged around, so am unsure of the internal injuries. She appears very energetic some days, and then not energetic at all, so I'm learning this isn't a smooth trajectory to health. Right now she isn't ready, but I want to get prepared. I think ideally she'd have at least 2x4 space with a shelter in the middle of the chicken yard, in shade.

Unfortunately it's internal injuries most of the chickens here die of after a hawk strike.
You just can't do anything about it and it's so frustrating.
Good food helps; I give vitamin supplements, walnuts, small amounts of cheese, yogurt, on top of their usual diet.
My rule of thumb, which I'm forever breaking, but I think the rule is sound, is that if they won't eat solids by the end of day three they're not going to make it.
Best of luck with your hen.

 

[aart]

Maybe put the bird netting close to the coop with the dog crate for shelter.
Then maybe put the crate in the coop at night for predator security.

 

[All Ball]

Thanks, Shadrach! A great thread and appreciated hearing your stories and observations.

Thanks, aart! Yes, I think that would be ideal. Hopefully on the weekend I'll have time to rig up a temporary space with the plastic electric fence posts I've got and the bird netting. I guess the crate could go in the coop rather than the garage - it's a mini coop for a small flock, but there would be space if I don't mind cleaning off a lot of poop! Good thought. In any case, she is not yet ready for heavy social mixing, so I should have time.

 

[aart]

it's a mini coop for a small flock, but there would be space if I don't mind cleaning off a lot of poop!

You cold put something on top of crate to keep it, and her, from getting pooped on.
Pics of crate and coop might garner some more solutions.