jasperaliceuk Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Today I had to rescue one of my two new ones - her fifth week with us. I've been doing all intros really slowly - two weeks isolated in different runs and houses. I gave the oldies the chance to roam around the new girls run, fed them along side. After two weeks I cordoned off a piece of ground and let them out together to free range. A few squabbles and comb pecks. A couple of weeks of this including switching their houses and a sleepover with the oldies for one night. The new ones just won't go near the others, they'll perch in the WIR and turn their backs, constantly avoiding the old ones. Yesterday afternoon they spent together in the big WIR. At night the new girls hadn't gone to bed so I lifted and put them in with the others. All seemed Ok this morning and I listened out for any serious squabble, but when I came back from a dog walk around 11.30 I found Donna with her head severely pecked. A scary injury and I couldn't tell just how serious so took her to the vet this afternoon. I had immediately sprayed with with Septicleanse and removed them both to their Go. Both girls are quite tame and don't give up any fight when they are pecked. I can't get to grips with why this doesn't immediately put them at the bottom of the pecking order. She was so good at the vets, struggled at being shaved (didn't even know you could shave a chicken!) and at it being cleaned and being dosed with an antibiotic tablet but was otherwise calm. In fact at one point I thought she might die as she just lay down shut her eyes and looked as if she was going to roll over! As for me I had been feeling so sick over the whole affair had to sit down during the procedure for fear of keeling over myself! I am now terrified of introducing them again and am wondering if my only safe solution is to bumpa bit the old three. Wouldn't be the first time Ace the ring leader has been bumpa bitted for consistent feather plucking. Any advice greatfully received. Did I go too fast? Should I have taken the newbies out again at first light? I've done this twice before with no problems but this time it has gone well pearshaped! Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kopperdrake Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Crikey - what a to-do! I'm afraid we get the same problem with old girls turning nasty when new hens are introduced, we've found some breeds seem to be more prone to it, in that our Light Sussex are so laid back they'll accept anyone feathery. The hybrids tend to be more highly strung and more likely to get nasty, and I know it doesn't help, but the *only* way we've found to cure it, is to introduce a cock to the flock. We currently have an old gentle girl living with the banty flock as the big flock kept picking on her, to a similar extent as you mention. The thing is, some chickens are just down right nasty - I always wonder if early life is anything to do with it. We have one chicken whose previous owners were severely negligent to her and her coop fellow, to the point the other hen died of it. When we realised what had happened, and that they just couldn't be bothered to look after them, we offered them the price they'd paid for her and took her into our flock. To this day she's still a handful and is top-dog, so to speak, but I suspect it's a survival trait. Sorry I can't be of more help - I've never used the bumper thingummies - heard of them but never used them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 I always keep my newbies apart about six weeks but other on here stick them straight in and hope for the best. I would separate again and start the process over again. Keep them apart for a few weeks and try again. You have done everything right and have just been unlucky. You will get there it will just take time. My last lot where a nightmare to merge but they move and act as one flock now but it did take a long time. The pecking order is a complicated business and in my experience it's not usually the top hen doing the pecking/bullying it's usually the second or lower ranking girl who doesn't want to lose her place. Maybe give it another go before you consider bumps bits Don't worry, you will get there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Everything exactly as Gavclojak said. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 I always keep my newbies apart about six weeks but other on here stick them straight in and hope for the best. I would separate again and start the process over again. Keep them apart for a few weeks and try again. You have done everything right and have just been unlucky. You will get there it will just take time. My last lot where a nightmare to merge but they move and act as one flock now but it did take a long time. The pecking order is a complicated business and in my experience it's not usually the top hen doing the pecking/bullying it's usually the second or lower ranking girl who doesn't want to lose her place. Maybe give it another go before you consider bumps bits Don't worry, you will get there as above but you will need to wait until the wound is fully healed which could take a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasperaliceuk Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Thanks for all your replies. I find it quite miraculous that she is not bothered at all by the wound which in my eyes is horrendous. Basically scalped. It is healing, even just after a day. Got the antibiotics down her this morning without too much trouble. Just about to do second dose. She's with her buddy and they seem just fine although I'm making sure she gets a daily dose of septicleanse to keep it purple. So slowly but surely again it is! I will keep the pair of them in the Go Up and just let the others free range around until she's fully healed. Very oddly the old girls have been very quiet today and not even laid eggs! As an aside those of you who have given antibiotics what have you given as egg withdrawal time - vet said 28 days but I've seen less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 I do think it depends on what antibiotics you have been given. It's more about the theoretic risk of the antibiotic being transferred to humans through egg consumption and a possible allergic reaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Not just allergic reaction but if you have low doses of antibiotic in your system, any bacteria can develop resistance to it, meaning that from then on any bacterial infection could potentially be much more difficult to treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Mullethunter is right. Egg withdrawal periods are there to prevent antibiotic resistence of any bacteria you may be carrying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie-Annie Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 I always used to put vaseline on the combs and wattles during introduction, but then someone said Sudacrem is better as it covers the red up and it did seem to work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 antibiotic withdrawal guideline is technically 21 days but 28 days is the recommended period to be sure any trace is completely out of the body. it's low doses of the antibiotics that cause the resistance as the bugs don't get enough to kill them so have the time to build up resistance . that's partly the reason that the full time use of low dose antibiotics was stopped (in most countries ) in animals that were going to end up in the human food chain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
