Reintroduction woes

callieriggs

In the Brooder
Nov 3, 2015
32
1
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So our little Polish has just returned to our flock of 3 (including her) after a recovery from a dog bite. She is a super expensive little chicken now...and she hasn't even laid an egg yet! Oy! Anyway, she was in our bathroom for about 1.5 weeks and then we started putting her out in the coop and run while the other 2 girls were free ranging in the yard for another 1.5 weeks. Wednesday the vet said she could go back out with the other girls. Our wynadotte has been chasing her a lot and occasionally pecking at her. Grrrr! I check her injury location in the morning and it has looked good the past 2 mornings. Last night when I checked her injury it looked a little raw but it may be her picking at her own scabs. It looked better this morning. My question is how long does this reintroduction hostility usually last. We are planning on going out of town for Easter and they will not be able to free range. I worry about our little Polish being trapped in our small coop for 3 days! We may have to have a neighbor let them out and put them up but I was hoping to avoid them being out of the coop when we are out of town. Wishing we had built our bigger coop by now!

Oh, here is a pic of our coop with the chickens during Felicity's confinement.

 
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Polish have a reputation for being picked on. I feel like it's because the other chickens are jealous of their FABULOUS hair style.

You can put the main aggressor in a time out (dog crate in the garage) for a few days to see if that helps things shake out.

You can also opt for distractions in the coop like hanging a cabbage up for tetherball or throwing a few plastic water bottles with holes punched in them filled with meal worms or a little scratch.

Other than that, I'd let them work it out. Just make sure there are "hiding" places in the coop where your Polish can put something between her and any other bullies.

Also, consider getting more Polish or crested breeds. They can be bullied, because they are "different," and a crested friend or five might help her flock with likeminded chickens. :)

MrsB
 
Just wondering how it all went? I have the same sized flock and 1 girl has been removed since Sunday. I let her free range with me supervising and Alicia (the dominant)started a fight which I broke up. I only broke it up as Cheep now has 1 wing which isn't healed but just wanted to keep the lines of socialisation open. I might need to put her in her cage outside with them until she's healed during the day
 

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