Very stressed out pullet!

[SavageDestiny]

I went to a poultry swap yesterday and came home with a 4 month old Mottled Java Pullet. She is absolutely gorgeous! I picked one up for a friend of mine who couldn't make it to the swap as well, and both girls came home with me until my friend could pick hers up.

While they were together, they dust bathed, ate greens, scratched around, etc. They were nervous of me but not freaked out. Now that her sister is gone, however, my girl is terrified and depressed. She won't eat or drink, is scared of my other chickens through the fence, terrified of me, and has wedged herself into a small dark space and will not come out now.

I've been trying to leave her alone and just leave some food and water where she can access it without leaving her hidey hole. Anything else I can do to make her more comfortable and relaxed? I feel absolutely awful for her.

 

[Petlady]

Hi there; new to forum. Is there any way to reunite the two? (Perhaps you, your friend could 'sacrifice' this one.) I've noticed while raising several groups, that certain individuals develop very close bonds. Just as with horses, people, pretty much everything else. She's probably the "shy one", as well. When they're this way I forgo keeping one and sell them together to one owner. Of course, you wouldn't have known this ahead of time.

 

[carolinasculpture]

Hi! I have one like that as well (Licorice - black australorp), her "sister" (Popcorn - leghorn...complete personality differences for the breeds, but hey?!) is completely outgoing and doesn't even seem to notice if Licorice is there or not. But if I try to separate them for any reason, Licorice goes NUTS! I agree and think if you could get them back together, it might help both of them. Good luck! I hope it all works out!

 

[aart]

Hmm...hard to say if she'll get over it....very hard to integrate a single bird into a flock, might be best to get her a friend or two. .......or put one or two of your more docile hens in with her.

 

[SavageDestiny]

Hi there; new to forum. Is there any way to reunite the two? (Perhaps you, your friend could 'sacrifice' this one.) I've noticed while raising several groups, that certain individuals develop very close bonds. Just as with horses, people, pretty much everything else. She's probably the "shy one", as well. When they're this way I forgo keeping one and sell them together to one owner. Of course, you wouldn't have known this ahead of time.

Hi! I have one like that as well (Licorice - black australorp), her "sister" (Popcorn - leghorn...complete personality differences for the breeds, but hey?!) is completely outgoing and doesn't even seem to notice if Licorice is there or not. But if I try to separate them for any reason, Licorice goes NUTS! I agree and think if you could get them back together, it might help both of them. Good luck! I hope it all works out!

Unfortunately reuniting them is not possible. Both my friend and I are at our limit on how many chickens we can house, no way could either of us squeeze more into our coops/runs. I talked to my friend and her girl is settling in fine, it is just mine who is having issues.


Quote:

Hmm...hard to say if she'll get over it....very hard to integrate a single bird into a flock, might be best to get her a friend or two. .......or put one or two of your more docile hens in with her.

I caved and put her in with my girls a little while ago. I only have 4 others, and one is quite young. I was hoping having some company would help her adjust. The girls were well behaved with her, but she beelined for this little wedge between the coop and a tarp shelter I have set up, and will not come out. Little Peep Peep, the young one, and my most docile hen have gone back there to say hi to her, and she does not mind, but she will not come out either. I tried tossing some food and greens out there, but no luck getting her to eat. Thankfully she's close to the waterer if she decided she's thirsty... I feel bad for her!

 

[aart]

Give her some time...she's just been thru 2 big changes.
Keep an eye that she doesn't get stuck in her hidey hole or that the other hens don't trap her there and peck at her.
Multiple feeders and waterers can help if they try to keep her from feeding.

 

[SavageDestiny]

Give her some time...she's just been thru 2 big changes.
Keep an eye that she doesn't get stuck in her hidey hole or that the other hens don't trap her there and peck at her.
Multiple feeders and waterers can help if they try to keep her from feeding.

She's definitely not stuck, I don't think she could get stuck. So far everyone has either ignored her or just calmly gone back to say hello.

I feed twice a day, I don't free feed, since I do fermented feed. I did offer her some dry stuff in case she wasn't sure of the ferment, but she ignored both. She ignored the greens as well, even though she ate the same greens yesterday when I still had her sister here.

I am fine with giving her time and space to adjust, I just worry about her not eating/drinking. I don't want her to get sick or dehydrated!

 

[SavageDestiny]

So little update. Little Peep Peep has been hanging out with the Java and seems to be winning her over. I put the 3 big girls in a separate area to eat dinner and set a dish with some crumbles down close to the hidey hole, and called Little Peep Peep. She came over and started eating. The Java was scared to come out with me there, so I backed off a ways and she finally came out and ate! So I'm hoping this is progress.

 

[Petlady]

That definately sounds like progress, good job!