Lozza1 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 We started keeping chickens in August, so fairly new to it all. One of ours was attacked by a fox in daylight at the beginning of December ( my mistake, and one I won't be making again). I chased the fox off right away, and it turned out she wasn't badly injured, and after just over a month she is back with the other two and has resumed her place at the bottom of the pecking order, acting like a normal chicken in every way- except no eggs. I'm thinking that the combination of the stress of the attack plus the dark winter days may have knocked her hormone levels? I don't mind if she never lays again- she's a lovely, amusing chicken and I reckon she deserves a good life- but I'm curious- does anyone have any experience of hens laying- or not- after an attack? Many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Welcome to the forum Lozza1. As you say the long nights will probably restrict her laying anyway, but we've had fox attack survivors, both ours and ones we've taken in. Three months is typically the time they take to recover to the point of feeling secure to lay. After all they instinctively lay to hatch, so if they don't feel well or secure they won't lay at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill2b Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I must admit I used to be indifferent about foxes although my wife has always hated them. Since we have had the girls though I am very different. I saw a car advert on TV yesterday which had a fox on it my first thought was shoot it. Lozza1 What was the mistake you made, I am getting a bit paranoid about our ladies so the more I know the safer I would feel I'm glad to hear your not bothered if she does not lay again that's the way we feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 We had a fox attack a few years back. Two died, one was injured and my Silkie was in shock. The one that was injured got better after a trip to the vet and did eventually go back to laying. The silkie lost her voice, she eventually went on to laying and her voice slowly returned, she's still with me now. The other one was a hybrid, she lived til about 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozza1 Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Thanks for the helpful and reassuring replies- especially appreciated as we are complete novices. bill2b, this is the mistake I made, I still feel so bad about it..... Our eglu, run, and fenced 'pasture' are right below our lounge picture window, with a door out to the decking and stairs leading down to the fence gate. We had let them roam around the pasture area when we were in the house, thinking we would see any intruder or hear the alarm call- I walked into the kitchen (out of eyesight) for a minute and heard the chickens squawking- I rushed downstairs to see the neighbours' cat chasing a fox and our poor Speckledy laid out on the grass, minus most of her tail feathers and seemingly dead. It was probably 60 seconds that I was out of eyesight- and it could have been fatal. So now we don't let them out of the run (we've made it huge, so they have plenty of space) unless we are sat down in the garden. A very painful lesson learned about the speed and skill of the urban fox. Hope this information helps others, your responses have certainly helped me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozza1 Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 Pleased to say our injured Speckledy has just started lay- looks a bit like a quail got into the Eglu, but we are impressed. With the purchase of a 'rehab' eglu and medicines, I reckon that egg cost about £300. Thanks again for advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
