Need Thoughts on a shy Hen

[Sandyd]

I have Red Stars. 2 of the hens are a black breed, (Some that they send you for free with each order) After my mink attack I noted one of the black hens had a wound, so I had to isolate her from the rest of the flock because of her injury. The one black hen left in with the red stars has started hiding in the nest box. When I get home at night I flip up the roost to the nest box after I take the hiding black hen out. She immediately goes to the food and water but before she stops and picks up a red star feather and puts it on her back. Am I crazy thinking she wants to hide her color and be like the others? Some of the red stars do go at her. At night she sleeps on one side of the 20 foot roost along with some of the red stars. It is funny half are on one side and half are on the opposite side. When I order 10 chicks to replace the ones killed by the mink should I order black hens to make the two feel more at home? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Sorry to hear about the mink attack. That's really interesting about the black hen picking up the red feather. I have never heard anything like that before. I do notice that chickens do tend to hang out with chickens of the same color. At least if you get more black chickens, they won't be singled out as much for negative attention.

 

[Sandyd]

Thank you so much for responding. It is so strange and I thought she was trying to take attention away from herself with the red feather. She immediately picks up a feather and puts it on her back and then gets a drink and eats feed. I was contemplating getting black hens also and your thoughts on them hanging out with the same color has helped. Her other black sister is still healing and was wondering on putting a t-shirt on her so everyone could not peck at her large scab under her breast bone going towards her vent to let her back in with the black hen for company.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

You surely don't want others pecking. I have read about people fashioning a t shirt to cover a wound, and keeping it on by putting duct tape on just the t shirt to make a kind of pleat to make it tight enough. There are still no gaurantees it would stay on. I have also used a product called blu-Kote, an antiseptic spray which camouflages the wound with blue pigment to discourage pecking. It is sold at farm stores.