Solitary chicken - need advice

[kitschwitch]

The girls have been here since Saturday and the "pecking" order is mostly done but Miranda is still chasing Carrie around and now she is in the house and won't come out, she spent most of yesterday in there too.

 

I've shooed her out from the back but she just gets chased back in.

 

I put some extra food and water in late yesterday afternoon as I didn't think she had eaten much

 

Should I keep putting food in the house for her and let her stay there?

 

We got them from Golden Valley and although they said they were all 18 weeks is it possible she's a bit younger, she has virtually no comb compared to the other 3 and is very pink where they are red

 

Charlotte who is obviously "top" chicken is trying to protect her a bit but not enough for her to get to the food etc

 

Di

[Krysia]

It does sound to me like she is a little younger, if you take her out and feed up and then put her in later it will probably cause more problems as she will then be a total outsider joining an established flock.

 

I am not sure what the best thing to do is but I would keep an eye on here but leave them to it

 

good luck

[kitschwitch]

I've put extra food and water in the house again now as she is still there and is only coming halfway down and flapping back up again!

 

They seemed to be sorting it out fine until yesterday afternoon

[meezers]

Could you give Carrie some time away from Miranda ? Maybe you could turf Miranda and the other one out to free range in the garden for a couple of hours, the younger one may be calmer with just charlotte in the run.If that goes well, try freeranging Miranda and Charlotte and leaving Carrie and the other one in the run, the idea is she gets used to the chooks one at a time.

I had a similar problem when I got my 3 newbies, they were a few weeks younger than my other 4 and not at all confident when faced with all 4, but they were much happier when I mixed the older ones 2 at a time.

[mostin]

Have you tried a water spray or a garden hose in the face of Miranda? I have found that if you do that at the moment they are doing the bad behaviour it soon cuts out the bullying and the bad behaviour.

[kitschwitch]

I've done this once already..............must be going to the same place as my photos

 

I'm sure if it's getting worse, We let them out tonight for 1/2 hr when OH got home and Carrie stayed in for a bit but then tried to come out and was shooed back in quickly.

 

They are all chasing her round the run now, she keeps getting cornered and has no choice but to make it to the ladder

 

Out in "free range land" it was as bad

 

She is now sleeping in the nestbox and cooing when I stroke her, the others are as friendly and Sam let me pick her up tonight

 

Should i "move" Carrie back or leave as she is

 

Got the water pistol tonight and ready to use but am at work most of tomorrow

[mostin]

Can you possibly rig up a temporary run, omlet netting for example, for Carrie to be in on her own for the day where she will be in sight and next to the other girls, but not within reach. This will give her a break.

 

Then when you are back from work you can let them all out together and do the water pistol treatment to keep things under control until bedtime.

[Egg Lou]

Hi Di

 

I had the same with my bluebelle to start with, she was too scared to leave the cube as got chase everywhere.. I think it was becasuse when I bought the first girls she came from one pen and the other three came from form another...

 

I did leave them to it as no blood being drawn and it settled down after a few days and then took a further couple of months before she was fully accepted.

 

Best of luck!