urgent advise needed

[stigoftheplot]

I've got 2 chickens, though there were 3 & 1 died very quickly after getting them. They were from 5 which someone was getting rid of. I've had them a couple of months & Saturday finally got the replacement for the 3rd one. I'd been told they'd fight for about a week, then settle down. The dominant 1 is constantly at the new girl, though the other didn't bother after the 1st day. Is there anything I can do to smooth it along. I do make sure she has some time alone to get food & water & she's laying eggs everyday so I'm assuming it's not as bad as it looks, also there aren't any real injuries, but she's just relentlessly chased/jumped on /pecked by old bossy boots!
Also last night the other established one stated making a wheezing which sounded more like a party hooter. I thought she'd got something stuck & tried to dislodge it. It did go quiet for a while & then started again. Today she's not seemed her normal self & apart from the wheeze has also had the odd sneeze ( or is it a cough chicken style?) She's obviously unwell. Any ideas on what it is & can I help with any home treatments.

[Two_Sheds]

Oh Stig, poor chooks.
I don't know if raspberries would make a cough-cure, but help yourself to mine while I'm not there.
Hope the garlic chives take okay xx

[Sue]

Stig
I had to house a chicken refugee from another allotment holder who gave up after all his other chickens were eaten by foxes. Poor thing had nowhere to go and wasn't able to do the putting her in at night thing so she got the full treatment.
I found that the dominent hen and her second in command settled down quite quickly, it was the third in line who caused the most trouble, seemingly to feel the most threatened. Poor Betty took it all in good part. She got pecked on the first day, enough to draw blood from her comb, now after several months, things have really quitened down and apart from a bit of shoving and half-hearted pecking to her back they get along together, although it breaks my heart to see the three of them all enjoying a dust bath and Betty gamely having to have a dust bath on her own in another spot.
When she first arrived I angled the hen house across the run to give her a corner and she lurked there for a while and I put up additional food and water containers for her so there was no conflict.
I can only say that in the end with a resiliant hen you will get them rubbing along together although it would have been awful if Betty had been timid. I tried spraying the culprits with a vinegar and water solution which is meant to make them all smell the same but it wasn't very successful. I didn't have to resort to smelly sprays or gentian violet but these are supposed to help.
Good luck!
Sue

[Hilary B]

One thing worth trying is to take out the bossy one, rather than the one being bullied. Put bossy-boots on her own for a while (all day at least), then when she goes back she has lost a bit of status.
I was expecting someone to suggest worming the second 'not-very-well' chook. Mine never seemed to need it (and I'm not sure the option existed that long ago) but any species that has exclusive use of a limited run is vulnerable, and if your original 3 had come from a place that was perhaps not taking as much care of them as you would.....

[stigoftheplot]

Thanks, I'd not thought of taking Bossy Bertha out, I'm tending to give the new girl the time alone to peck in peace though not long at a go as I didn't want them to think she's been gotten rid of! Mabel's too thick to bully anyone on her own, bless her, so maybe she'll make friends with Nugget. I think it'll go 1 or 2 ways, either Bertha will lose a bit of status or she'll come back with vengence! Def worth a go though.

[Two_Sheds]

This might not work for chickens, but ...

when I introduce a new guinea pig to the others, or a new parrot to the flock, I keep the Newbie in a separate cage side-by-side with the others. They can sniff each other, see each other, but can't attack each other. After a few days they have gotten used to the new one, and it can be released into the communal area.

My dominant guinea pig was a horrible cow when I first put a new one in ... she attacked No.2, not the new one! No.2 carries a little tooth-shaped scar on her little nose now. They still grunt and growl at each other, but no fights since then.