Will my hen always be ostracized?

[Finally chickens!]

I have 3 Buff Orpingtons about 2 years old and 3 RIR that are about 6 months. One of the RIR hurt her leg about a month ago. She is much better but still has pronounced limp. I doubt she'll ever lose the limp. When I try to put her back in the run, the other hens mob her and seem to be trying to kill her. So I let her out to free range all day. When I let the others out, I put her in the run. When they are all in, she hides in a nest box. Will I ever be able to reintegrate her into the flock or will she forever be an outcast?

 

[NatJ]

Will I ever be able to reintegrate her into the flock or will she forever be an outcast?

I don't know. Chickens have their own opinions about such things.

You might try giving her a coop/run next to the main one, so she can see and interact with the others through wire mesh. That way they cannot pick on her, but she will have companionship. There's also a good chance that the others may come to accept her again, if they see her regularly. (Don't expect results in a few days--it could easily take weeks or even months.)

If you house this hen next to the others, after she seems comfortable on her side of the fence, you could try moving a single one of the other hens in with her. If they get along OK, wait a while (days or weeks) and add another. Continue until they're all together again. Adding the others one by one means they cannot mob her all at once.

 

[Finally chickens!]

Thank You for your advice. She does stay right with the flock ... on the other side of the fence ... all day. We're currently building another run right next to the current one so I'll probably try putting one hen at a time in with her when It is done. Thank you again.

 

[artsyrobin]

You need to reintegrate her, don't just pop her into the flock, you need to put her in a section where they can see her, put your most docile hen with her for a few weeks to bond, then supervised time together with the flock. A single hen is rarely accepted, but a pair can integrate easier. Have a spray bottle to mist the bullies until they accept them