Worried Newbie

[Roxylady]

Hi, we purchased 4 chickens in February and have loved them ever since. Then we decided to hatch some eggs as we had a broody but it turned out she wasn't broody enough so we put the eggs into an incubator. Then a week ago we had to take our favourite hen (she had so much personality) to the vets and they advised to have her put down - she had a prolapse. The same day we discovered the incubator wasnt working properly and the eggs were cold. Fortunately our broody was now very broody and we put them under her for the night. She is a Columbian and rather large so we were worried she might have squashed them. She did a great job but with the incubator now mended we decided to transfer 5 of the 6 eggs back to it leaving her one to hatch herself. We separated her from the other 2 remaining hens about 2 days ago and she hatched a bantam chick, two of the others had already hatched in the incubator. We left her and her chick alone for over 24hours (as the book suggested) and then moved her to a run as we were quite worried about her health and pale comb. She trod on her chick so we decided to put it with the others in the brooder and put her back with the other 2 hens - the chick is fine but one of the hens attacked our Columbian so I got her out quickly. We don't have a big enough garden to have 2 separate pens so I wondered if anyone can help or is that it now - she will never be accepted again?

 

[poulet]

I have just introduced 4 new hens to my other 3 in the beggining they also attacked them but now a week later they all seem to be living in harmony, the original three are still higher in pecking order when it comes to food. Give them time and I think they will come around , just watch them together and let them fight it out a bit, even my chicks who are now 7 weeks are with the older ones ,again the three orignals are the bosses but they do accept each other in the end

 

[Roxylady]

Thanks for that. Do you think I should put her in the coop with the other 2 tonight? Some people say that if you do that with a new chicken they just accept them in the morning? Also I'm worried about letting them 'fight it out' as she is not very strong at the moment due to being so broody.