Chicken Memorials

[hpops]

I've done a very stupid thing - introduced a pekin bantam into an established flock too quickly and she has been seriously pecked. I think i've always been quite lucky in the past and had some smooth introductions - and got a bit complacant - I feel awfull!! There is already a pekin bantam in with the others - I naively thought they would bond because they were the same but I think she has been worse than the rest!!

 

My question is what do I do now??? I have seperated her and was going to spray some diluted tee tree oil onto her wounds - is this ok?

 

What should I now do with regards to re-introducing her? I am guessing that it would be best to wait for her feathers to regrow and the bloody parts on her head to heal before trying again - otherwise I am guessing this will make her a target?

 

Would it be better to get another pekin from her flock and introduce the two of them together (but more slowly)? Not sure OH would go for that!!

 

Or shall I keep her seperate (I'd hate to see her on her own!!) and in sight of each other and let them out to free range together (supervised of course).

 

Many thanks for your help

[superjules]

I'd separate her totally but within sight and smell of the others until her wounds have properly healed, maybe 2 weeks?

 

I don't know that it's a good idea to introduce one bird on it's own, a lot of poultry places advise against it and won't sell single birds for that reason.

 

Are your existing birds all bantams?

[Egluntyne]

I agree with superjules.

 

Introducing one to an established flock can be rife with problems.

 

When she has recovered, try again. but have her separated from the others by some sort of barrier/netting. Let them see, small and hear each other for a week or more, then sprinkle treats along the perimeter and get them used to sharing food.

 

After a week or so of this you could try to remove the barrier, keep them under supervision and see how it goes.

 

A water pistol aimed at any aggressors can shock them out of obnoxious behaviour.

 

Good luck.

[Trixabell]

I agree with what the others have said and i definitely would have a water sprayer to hand, it works with my girls when they get a bit ratty like Gwyn did today when I put her back in after a night in my bathroom. She started to peck to let them know she was back but after 3 water squirts she stopped and they got along well all day.

[hpops]

I've snuggled her up for the night with a jumper to keep her warm - she's indoors as I thought the warmth would help her. Having had another look she doesn't have any wounds as such - just a lot of feathers pecked from her head which had resulted in a lot of bleeding. Now the blood has dried and calmed down a bit it doesn't look nearly as serious as it did thank goodness.

 

Do you think I would be better off getting another pekin from the same place I got her from and keeping those two together and then introducing them (once her head has cleared a little?

 

If you do think it's best to get another - should I wait till she heals a bit - or would it be best to do it as soon as possible (so she still smells the same)?

 

I'm sure my OH will go mad if I buy another one - but if it's going to make introducing them to the main flock easier then I'll have to do it.

 

In answer to somebody elses question - the flock are -

 

RIR cross (don't know what with)

araucuna

gold silkie cross (don't know what with)

white and a black silkie

light sussex

lemon pekin bantam

 

so they are a variety of sizes really and they all get along absolutely fine - but I did get them all at the same time.

 

cheers

[Trixabell]

I'm no expert but from what I have read getting another chicken might increase your probs, because you then have to introduce them two which may not go as well as you may think it will, but like i said i'm not an eggspert, someone else will come along and offer more sound advice i'm sure. I wish you all the luck in the wrold with it and glad the injuries aren't as bad as you first thought x

[superjules]

hpops, I'm glad she's not as bad as you first thought.

 

I don't know how long it takes before she won't recognise another chook from her old flock, but if she's got scabs and any additional chook you get starts having a go too then you could just be compounding the problem. Worst case scenario would be you may have to separate both of them, separately, from the rest of the flock, if that makes sense!

 

It's good that all your other chooks are roughly the same size. Pekins are quite feisty little birds and can stick up for themselves so she'll be fine eventually - just don't rush to put her back in with the others, give her her own little corner of the run where the others can't hurt her. In my experience, for new chooks to be accepted by the rest of the flock takes 3 weeks.

[Steph101]

Don't feel bad. I did exactly the same thing as you two weeks ago; it's really stressful, isn't it? I had three esatablished hens which I'd had for five weeks, and decided it might be a good idea to introduce another ONE to even things out! Bad, BAD idea! I isolated her for a few days, just so that they could see each other, then put them together! To get the bullying to stop, I then isolated the ring leader for a few days. I've used anti pecking spray, bitter beak, tea tree spray, the lot. I sprayed the whole flock with tea tree and lavender, to get them all smelling the same. I've intervened with water squirting to stop the bullying. I fitted them with bumper bits, which in my experience, restricts their eating, as there were less droppings in the tray and their eggs started to reduce in size. In the end, I just put them all back together and hoped for the best. When Penny bled after being attacked (which was only once, on the first day) I applied some tea tree cream to her comb, then ordered some veterinary wound powder and gentian violet spray (which disguises the red blood, as they can become horribly attracted to the colour red ) from www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk. I haven't needed either, as the attacks are becoming less and less frequent. I asked Barbara from Omlet for advice, and she said to only intervene if blood is drawn, and add plenty of food stations around, as bullying normally occurs around food issues. Sadly, breaking up the fights seems to prolong the agony. I'd let her recover and get her strength back. Try not to cuddle her in front of the others; I've read that a bullying chicken is a jealous chicken. The sooner she's got her strength back and she can find her place in the pecking order, the better. Because in my experience, once you put them all back together, the process has to start all over again. I'd considered getting her a little friend, an ally, to keep her company. But I didn't know if this would make matters worse. I think I would only do this if it meant the bullied chicken had to permanently live seperately from the others, but this would be a last resort.

All the best; I'm sure things will settle down gradually, but you'll have to be patient. I know I wasn't!