Troubles reintroducing my injured juvenile to her? family

[Kelly808]

I was recently adopted by a family of 10 wild chicks whose mother took off after they were barely 4 weeks old. They're about 6-8 weeks now (hard to tell as they are wild) My boyfriend & I have created a temporary coop for them- a large box with straw and 10'x12' poultry wired space for them, letting them roam every other day around the yard & neighborhood. When we corralled the chicks into the coop, one of them was injured a little on her? eye & comb & had a bit of blood. I'm not sure if she was injured in the coop or before we got them in there, that's just when I noticed it. Everything was fine for a couple days, then I guess she? started bleeding somehow & was attacked by some of the chickens. We removed her as fast as possible & she's been living in my sunroom for about a week in a crate. She's been looking healthy & her scabs have gone away, so we decided to try I reintroduce her tonight. Apparently not a good idea. I'm not sure if she is a rooster or hen yet, she makes hen-like sounds, her feet & legs are smaller than the ones we've deemed as roosters, yet when we reintroduced her, she challenged some of the others- even one we're pretty sure is a hen. Prior to being pecked & leaving the flock, she was submissive & got along well with the others, I'm not sure why she came in like that. We've separated her again & she's back to the sunroom. Anyone have an idea of how we might avoid this problem & get her in with everyone again? They all roam somewhat together- I don't want her to be alone forever. Please help! Thanks!!

 

[Farmer Viola]

A week is a long time when you're only 6 weeks old, a 6th of your life. There is a pecking order within chickens, and since she was removed, her place among them is now reset. She's coming in strong because it's in her nature, she'll probably be near the top of the order. The way she asserts this order is by individually putting each pullet in her place, you'll see the top pullet peck another one in the head for eating out of her dish or sharing her watermelon. But she'll allow the other top-ranking girls to eat with her. If you spend plenty of time with them, you'll probably be able to distinguish everyone's individual place in the pecking order from 1 to 10 it's crazy!

Usually, (at adulthood) there is a dominant hen over all the other hens, and an alpha rooster over the other roos. With only 10 chickens, you can probably only afford to have 1 adult roo (too many and they can hurt the hen's backs). You would want to choose the best rooster to keep around based on the traits you notice as you raise him. He becomes fertile around 16 weeks I believe.

I would put her back in with her flockmates and monitor their behavior. Pecking is normal and natural, when they get a little bigger they start fluffing their necks out and kicking each other in the chest -- it looks horribly violent, but it's all normal! Unless someone is truly getting hurt, then you need to intervene. It's best to just let them work it out.

Chickens are attracted to blood, so if someone gets hurt, they will get their wound pecked. You did the right thing in removing her, make sure you always remove a bloody bird

 

[Kelly808]

Thanks! That's what they did when she went back in there- puffed out their necks & were fighting until she was once again bloody & we pulled her out. The problem I guess is that she's smaller than everyone else & apparently thinks she can be the dominant hen, but she doesn't stand a chance against the rest who are almost double her size. With those factors, do you think they'll be able to work it out, or is my little Napoleon doomed to be alone?

 

[Farmer Viola]

You did the right thing by pulling her out when they drew blood. Poor baby Did they re-open her original wound, or did they give her new injuries altogether? I would wait to put her back in until she doesn't have any blood or scabs showing.

There is a product called Nu-Stock that is for treating wounds on animals (all kinds). It's yellow in color, it dries up and covers the redness. I have used this on wounds and they won't peck it. Without knowing how bad it is, that might not work. NuStock is always good to have on hand, regardless. If you decide to apply it, make sure you clean the wound first (anti-bacterial soap and water, or epsom salt and water) and dry it before applying. Let the Nustock dry into a yellow crust before trying reintroduction. She might peck or kick the wound and wipe it off so you will have to monitor the situation.

Often, the smallest chickens end up as the dominant hen - not the largest. Something about an inferiority complex, I think (Napoleon complex.. hehe cute name). I would continue to introduce them when it is SAFE (no blood visible on the pullet!) and let them work things out until it gets too violent. They will eventually settle down, she is not doomed to being alone Would love to see pictures!


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[Kelly808]

Thank you for all your help & advice. Unfortunately I came home today to find my little Lucy run over in front of my driveway.