We know broody hens. How about a nanny hen?

[ValerieJ]

Su-su has expanded her nursing role. Now she has two patients. June became symptomatic yesterday, after being symptom-free since her earlier bout with this mysterious illness that took the life of one pullet and seriously sickened her sister May.

June is lame and wobbly and walks drunkenly. She's spending most of her time under the heat lamp with Su-su. It's a good thing May is recovering since June is not willing to share Su-su and the heat lamp with May, although I convinced the two to make their peace so June could share May's sleeping box with her. June tried to roost tonight and fell off.

I'm glad Su-su is willing to help out. This hen is worth her weight in gold. View attachment 2574480

Oh no!!! I'm so sorry this keeps happening!!! It does seem like you know how to bring her back to health, but it sure would be nice to be done with it. Thank God for Su-su.

 

[azygous]

June is improving. It seems I'm somehow intuitively stumbling on the right treatment. I'm going to refer to this disorder going forward as "May's Syndrome".

 

[ValerieJ]

June is improving. It seems I'm somehow intuitively stumbling on the right treatment. I'm going to refer to this disorder going forward as "May's Syndrome".

I love that!!!

 

[azygous]

It was inevitable. Su-su is experiencing "empty-nest syndrome" now that May is getting around better and spending more time in the main run with the bulk if the flock. Often, I will go into the rear run where Su-su spends all day to find her there all alone.

Of course, Pearl and some of the other chickens from the main coop will wander into the rear run in search of anything leftover to eat, so it's not like Su-su is alone all the time. But Su-su's three Australorps have pretty much become part of the main flock now, and May isn't going to be left behind. She's always right with the other two as they wander between the two runs.

Will Su-su wander over to the main run and join the others? So far, it doesn't appear she's willing to give up her secure little kingdom to subject herself to what I'm sure she remembers of the pecking order where she was at rock bottom.

 

[azygous]

Okay. I know what you all are thinking. Get Su-su some new babies. May be impractical as long as the three Australorps still think that rear coop belongs to them. But, the seed just got planted in my brain. It would be interesting if new chicks would inspire her to care for them as she did the Australorps.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Very happy that May is now being accepted by the other flock members. And certainly very happy for you, that all your time and efforts paid off. But yes, sad for dear Su-su. Being as i am now a recovering chickaholic (and will have to fight the urge not to binge for the rest of my life), i would never EVER tell someone they should get more chicks. (Even tho, ahem, yes the thought did immediately cross my mind that Su-su needs more chicks to raise). Is May now roosting with the main flock, or currently returning at night to roost with Su-Su?

 

[azygous]

May spends most of her day with the main flock, but she still sleeps in the smaller coop in her box. She is still unable to roost due to incomplete control of her right leg. She gets around pretty well, but has a stiff limp.

I attribute her self confidence in spite of her obvious disability to protecting her from being bullied while she was incapacitated. Long ago, I became very aware of the causes and cures of a chicken bullying victim. When any chicken is at a disadvantage, whether from illness or injury or being a new addition to the flock, if they are bullied and it continues without intervention, the disadvantaged chicken will assume the role of victim, and they then become a constant target.

As May was recovering these past few months, I would allow her to be exposed to the rest of the flock for brief periods, and when she became withdrawn and hid behind Su-su, I put up the barricade so she and Su-su weren't constantly dealing with aggression from the others. So May never developed a chronic victim role.

Now that she feels confident in her ability to get around, she also has the self confidence to go along with her mobility.

 

[azygous]

Azygous did it! Got Su-su some new babies to raise. They're one-day old Blue Plymouth Rocks. Su-su came inside where I have the babies on the kitchen table so I can observe them for any issues for 24 hours and met them. She was more interested in their chick feed than the babies. But she will need a few weeks of exposure to them to trigger her partial broody hormones. I'll move them outdoors to the broody pen in the run tomorrow.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

 

[ValerieJ]

It is exactly what I expected you to do.