[Robert_S]

Blimey, what a nightmare, hope she pulls through OK, she's lucky to have such a caring owner. I must admit that for me if it had come down to having to take one to the vet or dispatching it...well it would have been a hard decision to make. 

[Casey76]

Hi TT, i hope your hen recovers well.

I've found that head wounds do heal very well.

Last year one of my bantam pullets was severely abused by one of my large cockerels, to the extent that her skull was exposed to about the size of a 5p piece.

After sitting indoors for a couple of days until the edges of the wound scabbed over, she went back outside, and made a full rocovery.  She was never showable due to a scar, but unless you were looking closely, you would never have known that she'd had such a bad injury!

[Touché Turtle]

That sounds a very similar injury. I couldn't believe it when I saw her skull showing through!
Thanks for that, gives me hope that she'll recover and I made the right choice.

The vet was very supportive. He said one of his own chooks had a bad attack and spent 5 happy and healthy years with a patch of bare skull showing on the side of her head! 
Chickens are hardy little things, aren't they!

[Mrs Bee]

HI TT. Introducing new hens is a nightmare and very upsetting.

I was advised to put my new hens into the coop at bedtime and spray the backs of all the chooks with a weak vinegar spray. They were OK at first and then there was  a lot of fuss and squabble but it calmed down pretty quickly. It is usuallt best to let them get on with it and it usually calms down. If the newbies are getting it hard try rubbing vapour rub over their feathers this often works. The other girls don't like  the smell or taste.

You can separate the girls with a net fence in the run so they get used to seeing each other and then reintroduce them but there will still be the establishing of a pecking order eventually.

It helps if you have a large run so there are lots of places for the new girls to run to. It is also better if you introduce a few new girls together, but you have already done that.

Hope it is sorted out soon. Chickens are great but they can also be spiteful too.
Good luck.

[VickyW]

Hi TT
      Just want you to know it does get better. I got 2 new chooks between Christmas and NY and had a trauma and rush for purple spray (not as severe as yours though!)
Now, things are a lot better, they are still pecked at when eating by one of my originals but integration is almost there and they seem ok, except for one sneezing.

It feels like the worst thing ever at the time, but really, its not 

[Touché Turtle]

Well, the two groups have now been separate for a couple of days, and for now at least, all is harmony.

The new girls are all living happily together in the greenhouse and Smarties the injured Skyline is doing really well. (she's in the forefront of the pic).

I think I'm going to continue like this for a while, until Smarties is all recovered with staples removed, and the new ones are all a bit older and braver. Then I'll go for 'supervised access' with all 6 at once in the garden for an hour or two at a time until they're all friends.

[Beano]

You have had a time of it!!
I think you are doing the right thing by making sure that the next time they are all together the new ones will have a lot more room to run and hide.
Like I've said, I'm not that keen on just letting them get on with it, especially in a confined space.
Harmony will eventually break out honest and it will all be worth it in the long run.
I'll be going through it again in May when I get two new ones that I've ordered. I'll be making sure that I'll be around when they eventually get together.
What's the betting that Smarties will end up being your favorite.