One chicken being bullied and she wont move!

[EricaCAL]

Hi all. So I have 6 backyard chickens, that's the whole flock. I have one Buff Orpington (Buffy) who used to be near the top of the pecking order and now she is being mercilessly bullied by the other 5. We noticed a change in her behavior two weeks ago and then saw her being pecked in the face and she almost lost an eye! We have taken her to the vet twice now and except for the minor eye injury (which is now healed) they cannot find anything wrong with her.

She is only 2 years old and she is just acting limp and lifeless. She will not get up and run around the yard at all. We have isolated all the bully chickens into the coop and given her the full run of the yard but she refuses to move. I am extremely worried about her. She sleeps inside my master bathroom at night because I am afraid she will be pecked to death by the flock.

I do not know what else to do. We need to get her reintegrated or she will never be able to be outside again and it is no life for a chicken to live in a bathroom. I am open to all ideas and suggestions EXCEPT FOR KILLING HER!!! She is our pet and we WILL NOT KILL HER. There is absolutely no way this will happen unless the vet tells us to humanely euthanize which would break my heart into a million pieces. I love her and all my chickens and again THESE ARE PETS!!!! So any positive suggestions for behavioral work is greatly appreciated!! thank you!

 

[azygous]

Are your chickens molting? I could be pretty sure of this if you'd include your location in your post and tell us the ages of your chickens.

Bullying causes a snowball effect. A chicken is less likely to get enough to eat when bullied, and that causes weakness and causes more bullying since the victim won't stand up for herself because she's weak. Eventually she will give up and waste away, even welcoming being pecked to death since she's come to believe she doesn't deserve anything better. (Sound like battered spouse syndrome?)

Read this for tips on how to rescue this victimized hen. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

 

[EricaCAL]

Hi azygous! Thank you for your response and your great post about your bullying issue.

So one of my chickens is molting, the others are not. We are in Orange County, California and my chickens are all 2 years and 4 months old. They were all hand-raised together from 2-days old so they are all very used to each other.

We have been hand-feeding and hand-watering Buffy so she is getting food. The vet weighed her and she had gained weight in the last two weeks since her eye injury so she is seemingly getting enough food. I am just so worried about her "wasting away" so I am coddling her but that might be doing moire harm than good.

We are going to build the "chicken jail" you recommended in your other post. I am going to Home Depot tomorrow to get the supplies and we will rotate her around with the other chickens. That is great advice! Let me know what you think about our location and the molting.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!

 

[azygous]

If Buffy is molting, that could be part of her problem. Some chickens go through very hard molts while others are so subtle, you barely notice they're losing feathers.

I have one little hen that has a very hard molt each year. Mable is a Welsummer, small for her breed, and timid. When she molts, she becomes withdrawn, stops eating, and seems so skinny that I wonder how she survives each year.

She's at peak molt right now, and she has been hiding in a nest box part of the day to avoid bullies who take advantage of her vulnerable state. I just started placing her in the jail during the day so she can eat in peace and not have to evade her tormentors. I even give her special food to boost her energy levels as much as possible. Tofu with Nutri-drench. Boiled egg. Mackerel. Even live meal worms. Anything for a little energy boost.

I wonder if Buffy might have a similar problem and could benefit from similar TLC.

 

[aart]

She sleeps inside my master bathroom at night because I am afraid she will be pecked to death by the flock.

How big is your coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.