Single Chicken issues

[The Murfs]

Hey all, I'm desperate to help one of our chickens who just can't seem to catch a break! We need help badly! I know this is long, but we've tried so many things.

Let me start by saying I've read multiple posts on here about chicken pecking order and aggression. Treating wounds, and when to separate and reintroduce due to injury. I've ready about changing up the pecking order and knocking the queen down a few pegs.

With that said, we have 8 chickens. They are a year old, and raised all together as chicks. We have 4 wyndotts and 4 orpingtons.

In February, we had a very cold stretch for almost 2 weeks with only single degree temps during the day. We could tell our chickens were too cold, so we got out the heat lamp from when they were chicks and turned it on at night and kept them inside their coop. After a few days, the chickens showed signs of sleep derivation, so we would turn it on one night, off the next, and so on until the very cold temps passed. Their coop is 10x12, three roosts at various levels, and 6 next boxes. Plenty for just 8 birds, or so we thought. We did provide them with treats, for entertainment while they were stuck inside.

Once it warmed and they got outside, that's when it started. Our chickens started really hammering each other on the back of the head, but one chicken in particular, Belle, took the most damage from all the others. It got so bad we came home one day to find her up on the outside roost refusing to come down, she was bleeding and super scared. We removed her to our "chicken hospital". It a smaller enclosed run, and coop big enough for two. The enclosed runs for each coop share a wall so everybody can see each other. But when we put her in there she was so scared, that we put play wood against the wall so the others couldn't see her and she became much calmer. And she was very content after a couple days in the hospital.

Once Belle was healed, which took about a month, we went to put her back with the others. As soon as we set her down in the large run with the others they all ran up to her, chased her into the big coop, backed her into a corner, and started pecking her and ripping out her feathers. My husband heard the racket and ran in and pulled her out, no doubt saving her life. So back to the hospital she went for about another month.

So that beings us to April, when it was finally starting to get warm. Our chickens graze a 9,000 Sq.Ft. yard with our 6 ducks, so we let her out to graze with everyone else. As we expected, she kept her distance, they chased her some, but she managed to get away almost every time, and she was smart enough not to get caught in a corner again. After a couple weeks of grazing with the others during the day (and we weren't seeing much aggression any more, but she was still keeping her distance), we tried putting her back in the big coop with the others at night. They allowed her on to the roost with them, but by the time we got out there in the morning to let them out (very early) she was pecked and bleeding again. Back to the hospital!

And so it has been since. We've tried installing swings and treat centers in the big run for more things to do, removing who we thought was the leader for several days, everything I've read about and can think of to get her back in with the others. If we take out the bully, or three or four who are higher up, the remaining ones still peck her hard. Even when they have been pecked as well by the leaders. The whole group just seems to have this aggressive nature towards Belle. We're so desperate at this point we are considering adopting more chickens from a close by farm, introducing her to those since its her stomping ground and they are younger so we're hoping her chances of being top chicken are good, and then introducing both groups together in hopes of getting her friends. If we can't figure it by winter she will freeze to death for sure!!

Help us please!!! We love Belle and don't want her to be alone, or die this winter from the cold!

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I have the same problem with my BO Daffodil! My story is almost exactly the same as yours. I know it doesn't help, but you're not alone! She is in a pen connect to where she can see the others and I let her out to free range in the morning, and put her away in the afternoon when everybody else goes out. I sometimes let her out with a buddy who doesn't peck her. I'm very very slowly reintegrating her by having her free range with the others under supervision. It's the best I can come up with!

 

[aart]

Chickens can be vicious, maybe they have a good reason that we can't fathom...or maybe some are just nasty.
I've got a couple of particularly mean girls.
I've read that a flock in the wild will drive out a weak member because they can draw predators to the flock..might be some truth to that.
This where the Romance meets the Reality of keeping livestock.

What I would have done in your situation (very well explained by the way) is to take that board down,
maybe in increments by using smaller boards, after Belle was healed and feeling better.
Then let her get used to living side by side, but still separated by wire from the flock.
Then after she got used to that, take your most docile hen from the flock and put her in with Belle...see how that goes.
Multiple feed/water stations and places to hide, get up and away from each other will help.

If you can get one or two or three of the flock to live in peace with Belle, let them live together for a week or two..... then start.free ranging the 2 flocks on alternate days.
Eventually you may be able to free range, then coop, both 'flocks' together again.

Just an idea. All this would have to be played by eye and ear so to speak and it might take all summer to get one peaceful flock again.
Or you may just have to let Belle go live somewhere else.

 

[Mrs. K]

Chickens have very small brains, and don't remember birds as belonging to the flock pretty quick. Separating birds is hard on the whole flock when one goes to reintroduce them. The whole flock gets into a fight mode.

Aart - is right, way better to introduce two birds, get her a friend, and introduce the pair.

I realize what follows is not what you had asked for, and of course you have the right to do as you see fit, but looking at your post, I would like to remark on something to perhaps keep this from happening again.

Adult birds do not need heat, clear down to -30 degrees. They do need to be dry and protected from the wind. It sounds like you have a large enough coop, make sure that there is plenty of dry bedding on the floor and the roosts are about 30 inches from the ceiling, 15 inches away from the wall. Add ventilation above their head, even in the most bitter cold. This will keep the birds dry and out of the wind, and they will be warm.

It is a common mistake to shut birds up in a coop, adding a heat lamp, and trying to trap the heat, make the coop tight. What that really does is trap the moisture. I made this mistake when I was getting started. My birds are much more healthy since I went to keeping them dry and out of the wind, but with pleny of ventilation. Think of birds in the wild, they don't get heat lamps.

Chickens know more about being chickens and what they need. I do not close the pop up door... ever any more. My birds decide when to go in and when to go out. In my opinion chickens need some fresh air and sunshine regardless how cold it is. Chickens trapped in a coop develop bad habits, they find victims and go stir crazy. I know that it was when you let them out that the trouble started, but I imagine there were a lot of dark corners in the coop? The bright sunshine probably showed the birds where the victim was hiding. Birds hate change, any change, it upsets them and makes them cranky. I think they were probably picking on her in the coop, but inside, she had an escape, maybe not.


Mrs K

 

[KikiTheChicken]

I had the same situation with my 1 year old hen. After snatching her out of the coop, saving her from further injury, I punished the other mean hens by pushing them gently, or put my thumb and pointer finger together and "peck" the hen. When I re-introduced her again, I sat out there with her, punishing mean hens. I kept going out there a few times, doing the same thing! They eventually stopped. She is now at the top of the pecking order!

Hope that helped!


KikiTheChicken