My chicken is bullied, isolated, and not eating. What should I do?

Offering extra food for both hens may encourage your hen to peck at her own food. If they're fighting to the point of pulling feathers, removing the dominant hen for a short bit and then reintroducing them may also help.

It sounds like Bink is extremely ill and needs to be seen by a vet ASAP. It is possible there is a wound that got infected, an underlying illness causing his symptoms, or other underlying problem which needs to be treated. If he is kept with a flock, it is best to remove him from the flock to prevent being picked on and to prevent the spread of any illness to other birds. You can keep him separated and with easy access to food and water, or try syringe feeding, however if he is very weak and not moving much at all, and has visible swelling or wounds, seeking vet care immediately is needed.

Hi and thanks for your post. I would separate her from other hens if you have any and put her in a warm, clean and quiet area where she can rest. Offer small amounts of feed and water frequently. You may to phone your veterinarian if she doesn't improve in the next day or two -she may need antibiotics. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to you and Ginger.

Unfortunately, those are extremely vague signs of illness, so it would be hard to say what is going on. It would be best to separate the sick hen from your flock to avoid being picked on and spreading any illness. Keeping her warm in quarantine with easy access to food and water may help, however if you can't find an outward cause of her illness, she will need to be seen by a vet in person to determine what the issue is.

Thanks for reaching out about Ringo Starr. Laying imperfect eggs and sitting quietly could be a sign of egg binding or other reproductive diseases. If she is eating well and otherwise not looking in distress, then monitoring her is okay for a few days. Ensure her diet is adequate, to replace calcium that is being lost due to egg laying. If she continues to isolate herself or her signs of illness progress, an avian veterinarian examination should be scheduled. Good luck.

She may have a respiratory infection. This can be a bacterial, fungal or air sac mite infection. Clarabelle would need to be physically examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating domestic fowl for confirmation. Antibiotics may be indicated. In the meantime, keep her warm and separated from the flock if you have more chickens. placing her in a steamy bathroom, NOT in the shower, may help loosen up and congestion. Keep her as stress free as possible until she sees the vet.

The excessive preening can be caused by parasites, molting, boredom or stress. You can have Shelly examined by your veterinarian to diagnose infection or parasites. In the meantime, clean and sanitize the cage, bowls, toys and perches. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Mist her with warm water to encourage bathing and to promote healthy plumage. Rearrange her cage and rotate out toys to freshen up her environment. Survey the area around the cage and eliminate or decrease any negative stimuli.