Chicken bald back

[Boo&Fudge]

Hello

 

We've not been in touch for a while and up until last weekend our girls were all fine, nicely settled and laying us 3 eggs a day.

 

Unfortunately Margo had a trapped toe that then started to bleed and wouldn't stop on Sunday afternoon . We ended up at the emergency vet and Margo had an antiobiotic injection, her foot bandaged in a very fetching purple bandage and has taken up residence in the kitchen.

 

We are now on daily visits to the vets for her antiobiotic injections, she seems happy enough, listening to the radio, eating and generally making a mess on the kitchen floor, she is still laying, but we can't eat her eggs while she is on antiobiotics and not for another 14 days when she has finished

 

Her other 2 friends seem quite happy in the garden and have been calling to her, but having tried to put them together this evening in the kitchen there was a bit of a stand off and pecking! Does anyone have any advice about putting them back together once Margo is allowed back out (which I hope is soon as cleaning up the poo! is now getting a bit boring!), she's back at the vets tomorrow to have her dressing changed. Would it be better to wait until Margo can go back outside and put them out to free range together, can they have forgotten each other after only 5 days!

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[sophiex]

Hello!

I think that you should wait until her foot has completly recoverd before you put her back with the other 2. But still let her out just not with the others. I say this because if the other two girls start bullying her then she wont be able to do anything. that is if her foot is bad. if she can walk easily on it then you should put her back with the girls. I dont think this

helps much, but i am sure that someone with more experiace will come to help you out! x

[abwsco]

When Mindy was ill we had her living in the house with us for 13 days before we could re-introduce her back to the other eight chickens. There was some pecking at first but Mindy seemed to be top chuck and was quickly back pecking at the others and in charge. Ours aren't confined to a run though so she had places to get out of the way.

[Hangman]

As soon as one hen is removed from the social group, they will have to re-establish a "pecking order", which is why there can be a commotion between the other hens when one is removed.

 

As for putting her back, I imagine there will be a bit of s"Ooops, word censored!"ping but nothing particularly serious. Most of the skirmishes are conducted beak-on-neck, hence I don't see it interfering with her foot.

 

I'd recommend keeping an eye on her, and perhaps free range them when you re-introduce them so they have more space; at least if there is a problem, she isn't trapped inside the enclosure.

[wombatally]

When you do reintroduce her put her in at night, they're a bit dopey then, and watch over her in the morning.

 

I have heard that you can dilute vinegar in water and spritz them all - this will stop her smelling different to the others (she may have picked up a foreign smell to them) and pop them in to bed... Never tried it though!

[Hangman]

In my experience, this has a limited effect - chickens can recognise each other through their facial features and feather patterns.

[Boo&Fudge]

Hello

 

Thank you for your help. She is back at the vets tonight and I am hopefully borrowing an arc so I can put her on the patio tomorrow and let the others see her again, then I will either try free ranging them together as I'm around all weekend or try the night time introduction. Hopefully it won't be too painful, Margo was "top hen".

 

I'll let you know.

[westleigh]

ahhh bless her,hope all goes well

[Egluntyne]

Hello

 

Thank you for your help. She is back at the vets tonight and I am hopefully borrowing an arc so I can put her on the patio tomorrow and let the others see her again, then I will either try free ranging them together as I'm around all weekend or try the night time introduction. Hopefully it won't be too painful, Margo was "top hen".

That is how I would do it. Good luck.

[Boo&Fudge]

Hello

 

Well here is the update. Margo went to the vets last night, her toe is much better and she now just has a covering dressing on it so she doesn't peck it and is on oral antiobiotics - which is fun, especially as I get the beak end! The dressing can come off on Monday.

 

We put her in the arc this afternoon and they were calling to each other for a couple of hours. We cleaned out the eglu and then decided to go for a free range . . . it went quite well, there was a bit of flapping of wings, a few pecks and bit of staring each other out, I didn't need to interfere but we were watching very closely!

 

We have supervised bedtime and they are now (I've just been out in the dark to check) in the eglu roosting ready for bed - so hopefully our little flock is re established, although I think I may set the alarm clock early in case they need releasing!