# Strange question



## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

On Saturday we assumed my little pullet Tiger got her leg hurt by my little dogs chain. So once again I found myself having to fix more issues. So we brought Tiger in and she seemed on Monday like she was ready to start going outside. She hops around, and does put some pressure on her little foot, however she would lay at our feet if we didn't move.

Tuesday we let her spend some time with her brothers and sisters however she wanted back in the house. We forced her to stay outside for 2 hours while we were there.

Yesterday I had to be gone all day long, so I figured so she wouldn't poop in the house I would put her in with her brothers and sisters. When I would drop in for a quick minute, I saw that she was hiding behind the dog house, she didn't eat or drink all day long. So I would feed her by hand and put her back in the middle of the yard to come back to her being behind the dog house again hiding.

Today I tried it again, once again straight behind the dog house to hide. Once I got back about 1 hour had gone by and she was in the same spot. I moved her out and once again everyone came to check on her she took off so fast across the lawn hopping it was pitiful, just to hide next to the fence in a corner and making so many screeching noises like someone was going to kill her. 

So now she is back in the house ate like a little pig when she came in, and is now laying her head on my foot again. The issue is I do have things to do, and she wont even let me leave the room for 2 minutes alone without making a racket, what to do??

How can I get her back to the flock, and make her normal again?? I love the loving, but it is a bit much.

We had issues with her brother snowball when one of my older cockerels tried to fight with him, and tore his legs up. However he took going back outside the next day fine, it was nights when he wanted to come inside, he has gotten over it. But Tiger isn't getting over any of it.

What do I do to make her normal??? 

Is this what a Delaware chicken normally acts like??

I am use to the Orpingtons, RIR's GLW's and our Legacy breed but not Delawares. This is new to me.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

When she is out with the flock they are likely attacking her so she retreats behind the dog house. It's normal and natural for chickens in a flock to attack a crippled and flapping around bird..it's just instinct. So when she attempts to move she is doing it in such a way to attract their attention and aggression. That's why she ran so frantically when they came to "see" her and why she is so eager to be with you..her protection. 

She needs to be kept away from the flock while recuperating from this injury..if she ever does. I have a rule of thumb...if the bird isn't on its feet in three days and has full mobility, even if still limping a little, it is culled. I feel it's cruel to let them suffer, flop, and drag themselves around if there is no likelihood they will be able to walk normally and fend for themselves in a flock. 

But..that's just my method and not everyone does that, some folks will nurse a bird for months upon months, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

she seems to be walking some, had the foot of had a break I would have put her down, however she is more limping then anything the first day she would hold the foot out in front and now we see her using it a little bit more daily. She acts more like it's a sprain or something.

Our biggest and best GLW rooster has a strange looking hind toe it's about the size of my thumb, when he was 6 months old it got broken, he would jump like a kangaroo around the yard on just the one good foot. However he walks fine now, and is actually one of my breeding males. However he never had it as a young baby so he never got babied like my little pullet is now.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Bring a friend in with her until she heals. That way, when you take her back out she's got a buddy.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

I may have to try bringing in her brother since he has tried a few times already to help her. The dirt bath went all wrong the other day he buried her so that only her head was sticking out she wasn't to happy. Of course it was kind of funny.


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## fuzziebutt (Aug 7, 2012)

It sounds like you have a spoiled lapchicken!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Chances are high this little girl has been bullied so much she only feels safe with humans. I had one like that. She was absolutely determined to leave with me at bedtime. I'd be closing up and she'd fly to my shoulder. I finally found a friend for her, that ended the high anxiety at bedtime for her.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

We finally have her to the point to where she is now on the back porch at night. It took 2 nights but she is starting to get use to it now. We figured the couch wasn't a good place for her to sleep and she refused to stay in the box we had for her, or in the coop, so she now has a nice comfy cage on the back porch. This morning I opened her cage door and she limped all the way out to the coop with me so I could let everyone out, then went off to eat. So I hope things are working out for her. I still watch her and make sure no one is trying to bully her. So far so good. Now that she goes out into the middle of the yard with the rest they pretty much ignore her. However she still gives us her welcoming kisses, and wants to be held all the time.

I have to admit, I never thought I would see the day when I had a chicken asleep at my feet like a dog. However with chickens we have learned over the years always expect the unexpected.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I think our expectations were out of whack. We always understood they were just chickens. That they were not intelligent, that they had no personalities. Having venues to make note that maybe chickens are actually far more than we thought is helping us understand they are more. 

I have several old birds, they each know their names. You can't have birds around for so many years and not end up naming them. Each is very different from the other even though they are the same breed. Some could care less, a couple have to be in the middle of everything. 

Your little girl would do better with an over night friend. Instinct tells them they are safer in numbers. It also provides her with a buffer when she finally goes to rejoin the flock.


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## lamborghini (Nov 21, 2013)

She needs to be kept away from the flock while recuperating from this injury..if she ever does. I have a rule of thumb...if the bird isn't on its feet in three days and has full mobility, even if still limping a little, it is culled.

I feel it's cruel to let them suffer, flop, and drag themselves around if there is no likelihood they will be able to walk normally and fend for themselves in a flock.


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## kessy09 (Jun 16, 2013)

Weird. Did you mean to quote Bee and reply to it with your own response or were you copying and pasting what she said to reiterate that that is what you would do too? Also, this thread is over a month old, I'm sure the situation is resolved by now one way or the other


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

Yes in fact about 2 weeks after Tiger was put back out with everyone, was getting better, and was enjoying herself something killed her. We still do not know what. There was no teeth marks on her, and she was close to the front porch when my daughter found her. Her neck had been broken, and I find it strange. All that I can think of is that a hawk or something may have come down and struck her, and then been driven off by the rooster. What ever it was it was fast, and we didn't see or hear anything other then the rooster making a lot of noise. And he was yards away from where we found her, which makes me wonder.


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## minmin1258 (Nov 5, 2013)

That's sad...sorry for your loss. Sounds like she was a special gift t you. I know is too late for her but I hope you find out what did her in so you can protect your other girls from it!


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