Question House Hen Re-introduction Gone Awry

[KimChick]

The hen that we re-introduced to the flock yesterday is not doing very well.
As anticipated, a kerfuffle ensued as soon as we put her in the barn enclosure. Even the rooster tried to stave off attackers, to which I was pleasantly surprised.
Bit of background info:
- first found hen outside, in the snow, and listless;
- brought her in the house on Jan. 17th;
- only issue we could find was the moulting on her back;
- before the end of the 2 weeks in the house, tail is up, eating well, walking around, etc.;
- not very adventurous - mostly stayed on slab of cardboard under the kitchen table.
We had never kept or had to keep a hen in the house for that long. And it's winter. To my knowledge, she was in the barn for last night. Now she is back where she was 2 weeks ago - outside, mostly by herself. So I gave her some food.
What to do? Any ideas? Anyone?

[ross]

She will die if you leave her out of heat now that used to it .

[Shnookie]

Maybe the original problem was caused by the others picking on her, and that will just continue. I have two hens that get beaten up no matter who I put them with. Now the two of them live together and they are doing well.

[KimChick]

Yes, weird; this hen is not the only one moulting. We have 4 years of hens; this one is in the 3rd group, so not the youngest.
All of our hens are together; we do not have multiple enclosures for small groups.

[kenya]

You need to get her a buddy so they can hang out together and she will feel more confident when introduced back into the flock.

[KimChick]

We had an ah-ha moment! The hen is in the barn.
Since DH had made a small wood framed pen (with chicken wire stapled all around) for use in the house, we are using that same pen in the barn for the hen, but on the other side of the fence from the flock.
So, the hen is beside our grey Cochin, Anna. But while Anna is on an elevated platform, the hen is on the barn floor at the same height as all the other hens. For tonight, we have placed slabs of wood and/or styrofoam around and over the pen to deter any drafts. For a floor, she has a cardboard slab with shavings on top of the dirt floor. And she has food and water.

[KimChick]

You need to get her a buddy so they can hang out together and she will feel more confident when introduced back into the flock.

These hens are brutal! I'm not sure if a buddy will be found until Spring.

[KimChick]

She will die if you leave her out of heat now that used to it .

Thanks, Ross; I agree.
At first, I had placed her in an outside laying box that is used everyday. And I could fit food and water in there, too. When I went out to get her to take her into the barn, she had moved to the adjacent laying box.
But now, she can't go anywhere.
Hopefully, she survives the night.

[KimChick]

Quick update:
The hen is still with us, and she is eating & drinking.
I can see this arrangement going on until Spring when the snow is gone, and they are let out to free range.

[ross]

Luck