Are they attempting m*rder?

[Pulletproof]

Hello, I am a first time chicken tender. (Makes me smile) I have 5 jersey giants hens. Recently one of my girls got attacked while in the coop. Her name is Ethel. We didn’t notice Ethel was injured when we opened the coop. She came out with the others like every other day. It was an hour later maybe sooner but I noticed all the hens were violently attacking Ethel. I got them off of her and noticed 2 gashes on her tail end. At first I thought it was from the attack but now I’m thinking maybe a raccoon. I doctored the wound and kept her isolated to keep an eye on her for the day.
Now Ethel has always been the outcast. The other girls push her around but nothing crazy. So she’s always by herself off to the side of the flock. The next day we let the girls out, cleaned up Ethel and set her loose. Almost instantly the girls started attacking her. They were trying to kill her I know it. I googled it and found out they will kill the weak member of the flock. So we threw together a little run to keep her separate while she gets better. The first attack was 3 weeks ago. Ethel is doing great. The wound is healing. My question is after Ethel is fully recovered will continue to try to kill her?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Is there blood on her or a scab, anything red like that? If so, chickens will go for that like crazy and yes, they can kill her. So you need to keep her protected until it heals. I suggest you wash the wounds with either Hibiclens or sterile saline solution* which you can make, twice daily, and then coat with a triple antibiotic ointment like Neosporin Original or generic equivalent that does NOT contain pain killer in it. If you can, keep her in a large dog crate in the chicken run, providing shade, food, water and grit and something to perch on. This will keep her as part of the flock during treatment.

* Boil 1 qt water and allow to cool slightly. Add 2 tsp salt, a pinch of baking soda, and stir to dissolve. Or put a lid on and shake to dissolve. Use standard measuring cups and spoons (4 c water). Let cool before using. I like to put this in a clean spray bottle, that way I can clean the wound by spraying, no scrubbing needed.

 

[Pulletproof]

Is there blood on her or a scab, anything red like that? If so, chickens will go for that like crazy and yes, they can kill her. So you need to keep her protected until it heals. I suggest you wash the wounds with either Hibiclens or sterile saline solution* which you can make, twice daily, and then coat with a triple antibiotic ointment like Neosporin Original or generic equivalent that does NOT contain pain killer in it. If you can, keep her in a large dog crate in the chicken run, providing shade, food, water and grit and something to perch on. This will keep her as part of the flock during treatment.

* Boil 1 qt water and allow to cool slightly. Add 2 tsp salt, a pinch of baking soda, and stir to dissolve. Or put a lid on and shake to dissolve. Use standard measuring cups and spoons (4 c water). Let cool before using. I like to put this in a clean spray bottle, that way I can clean the wound by spraying, no scrubbing needed.

Thank you so much for your help. I’m going to start using the cleaning solution tonight. Her wound has healed very nicely. There are a few spots that look like scab so we will keep her separate until they are gone.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sounds good. When you are ready to put her back in the flock, try this: take a calm bird from the middle of the pecking order and put it in with her. Best if you can fence off an area for her, for this to work. After a few days, when they are getting along, add another. Continue to do so until you have put the whole flock in with her, one bird at a time. Then open up the area and let them hang out together. It's kind of a reverse integration. I'm sorry I do not know whom to credit for this method. I have not tried it but it certainly sounds as if it could work. If this won't work for you, let me know, I do have an alternative suggestion.

 

[Pulletproof]

Sounds good. When you are ready to put her back in the flock, try this: take a calm bird from the middle of the pecking order and put it in with her. Best if you can fence off an area for her, for this to work. After a few days, when they are getting along, add another. Continue to do so until you have put the whole flock in with her, one bird at a time. Then open up the area and let them hang out together. It's kind of a reverse integration. I'm sorry I do not know whom to credit for this method. I have not tried it but it certainly sounds as if it could work. If this won't work for you, let me know, I do have an alternative suggestion.

Honestly that sounds like a great plan. I think it will be a few weeks before we will try. I’ll let you know how it’s going and if I need a different suggestion. I appreciate this so much.