Mrs

[Janepie33]

On Sunday morning, a fellow chicken keeper phoned us to tell us that he had had a fox attack in the night that had resulted in one of his chickens being dreadfully maimed. His son did the deed and ended it's suffering. The family were left with a lone sad chicken and they asked us if we could give it a home. How could we refuse?

 

We picked her up in the cat box (cat not included!) and brought her home. She was a bit smelly and muddy, so I gave her a warm bath, which she seemed to enjoy, although she did lay a soft egg in the water, which I put down to the trauma of the night before. I then popped her into the cube run while my little flock of 5 free ranged around her. New chicken (previously nameless, but now called Ginney) puffed up and postured by the door at any of the girls who happened to be passing. They all puffed up and postured too, even dear old Tilly who seems to have avoided anything to do with the pecking order for years!

 

Later we popped new girl Ginney into an old plastic guinea pig cage while the others roamed around her, trying to peck her through the bars every now and then. After a couple of hours I thought I'd let newbie out under very close supervision. That was when the flock decided to take it in turns (and sometimes pairs) to try to murder her. Oh the screaming, the squawking and the flapping - and that was just me!!

 

I know the pecking order has to be re established and it looks brutal but there has been no blood shed yet. What surprised me most was that one of the most violent chickens was scrawny little Dottie - bottom of the pecking order. I suppose she sees it as a chance to deflect all the bullying from herself.

 

Plan of action - during the day I leave newbie in the guinea pig cage inside the cube run while the flock roam around her and at night I bring her into the kitchen in the cage. She has a bit of time free ranging on her own in the mornings and when I get home from work and then 10 - 20 minutes - or for however long I can stand it! with the flock.

 

Ginny is quite small and has a completely bare and bright red under carriage. I thought I glimpsed a mite, so I dusted her with diatom.

 

I have a couple of qusetions:-

 

1. How often should I use the diatom?

2. Apart from mites, broodiness and feather pulling, is there any other reason that a chicken will have a bald tummy and bottom?

 

Thanks for listening fellow Omlet people.

[Plum]

Could be a degree of moulting and I don't know how often you use diatom. When I remember I use it

 

You've got your hands full, may be worth letting her mix with just one at a time. Rotten lot but I bet she'll give as good as she gets.

[Roobaloo]

I mix diatom in with the sand and compost in the dust bath, so technically they get dusted daily... I don't know if that's good or bad though!!

 

I agree with mixing them one at a time though, just to make it less traumatic...and possibly give her some reinforcements for later on.

[laurmurf]

As you can't quarantine her in this set up you will want to - at the very least - treat her for mites/lice before letting her mix too closely with your chooks.

The murderous mayhem may continue for some weeks!

good luck