Hawk attack...bird fine....hasn't laid an egg since the incident

[farchereggs]

Hello BYC members. I have two Barred Rocks and one of them was attacked by a hawk two weeks ago. The hawk did minimal observable damage to the bird ( she had a cut on her back to the point where raw meat was exposed and the hawk got all of her tail feathers except for one). Despite the attack, the bird appears to be acting normal. There was no delay in eating or drinking. We cleaned the wounds each night for the first few days with a warm rag and dish soap followed by a light treatment of Neosporin. She eats, she scratches, she flies in the coop, and drinks water. The only thing she doesn't do anymore is lay eggs. I was curious if anybody out there has had similar issues and if anybody has a rough expectation as to when she could start laying again. The tail feathers are growing back to the point they are a course stubble that gets longer and longer as time moves forward. Thank you for your thoughts/feedback.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Stress of any type (predators, a move, change of environment, health issues, etc.) can cause a hen to suspend egg laying. Just continue to take good care of her and at some point she will resume laying again. If you haven't done so already, definitely check out our Learning Center at https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center. There is lots of useful information there. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Cheers.

 

[drumstick diva]

After a brush with death, I'm sure she hasn't been thinking about eggs. Give her time.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. I agree with both of the above posts - as long as she is physically fine, she will resume laying eventually.

CT

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[NickyKnack]

Hello!

Welcome to BYC and the coop! There's a lot of great peeps here! Feel free to ask lots of questions. But most of all, make yourself at home. I'm so glad you decided to join the BYC family. I look forward to seeing you around BYC. She'll bounce back. Just give her time.