Hen attacked by dog. When will she start laying again?

[waghmg]

I have 2 barred rocks that we've had for about a year. They came together and are inseparable. We let them out to free range w/supervision around our house and they stay right around the property.

About 3 weeks ago I made the BIG MISTAKE of leaving them out while I went to pick up my kids from school, about an hour. Had never had any problems with strange dogs (I have 2 of my own that stay in their fence while the hens are out; don't trust them). Drove up my driveway only to see a large Boxer and his much smaller 'pal' on our property and the Bulldog had feathers in his mouth!! Needless to say I just knew my girls were gone!

Long story short, thankfully they didn't touch one of the hens but I couldn't find the other one. Once we got dogs under control and the other hen put away, my daughter and I went to look for 'the body.' We found the other one had wedged herself underneath a segment of fence and against a plantar etc., mostly protected but very much alive thank goodness. Turns out on examining her she had NO WOUNDS at all, just missing a few feathers and was completely traumatized. After putting her inside the run she went in her coop and didn't come out until the next morning. Earlier in the day she was attacked she had laid her usual egg.

However, she has not laid another egg since, and again it has been 3 weeks now. She started acting her normal self the next day after the attack and has been fine ever since, just not laying.

Anybody had any experience of when something like this happened to them? How long did it take for your hen to start laying again?

Thanks so much for your help.

 

[debid]

I'm so very sorry that happened!

She'll start back up when she's good and ready, I suppose. If she's regrowing some feathers, you may need to wait for that. I'd give her a little extra protein to help if the feather loss was significant.

I had a pullet lose a big handful of feathers (including about half of her flight feathers on one side) to a hawk attack. She didn't even skip a day laying! But, chickens are individuals and react differently to trauma.

 

[waghmg]

Thanks for your reply.

WELLL.......There's nothing like a chicken to make a liar out of you, LOL!!!!

Right after I had written this on the forum, she went into the coop and laid her usual perfect beautiful blue-green egg!!!! Yaay!!

I just lost a favorite hen this past Sunday after 2-1/2 weeks of trying to save her.

......So I'm extremely glad THIS story had a happy ending!!

Thanks again!

 

[chloezoebob101]

oh no! i had a hen who got hurt by a dog and she was fine, and i hear yours is too!!

 

[mdibaugh]

I had the same experience with my silver cuckoo maran. Attacked by a visiting neighbor dog that wasn't on a leash. We found her in a field behind the house held down by the attacker. Her whole back was a bloody mess. We had to carry her in and out of the coop for three months. She finally was able to get around on her own but walks with a limp. It took her six months to start laying again. Other than the limp you wouldn't know she was ever attacked. We renamed her "scarlett" for the scars she received. She is probably the favorite hen of the bunch. She is the only one we can hand feed and pick up to his day. Guess it was all that special attention.

 

[chloezoebob101]

I had the same experience with my silver cuckoo maran. Attacked by a visiting neighbor dog that wasn't on a leash. We found her in a field behind the house held down by the attacker. Her whole back was a bloody mess. We had to carry her in and out of the coop for three months. She finally was able to get around on her own but walks with a limp. It took her six months to start laying again. Other than the limp you wouldn't know she was ever attacked. We renamed her "scarlett" for the scars she received. She is probably the favorite hen of the bunch. She is the only one we can hand feed and pick up to his day. Guess it was all that special attention.

I also had a chicken who got bit on her foot and still walks around with a limp. She got it when 40 of our chickens were eaten by a stupid raccoon or fox or whatever..

 

[TexasLisa]

Oh I am so happy

your hen is doing fine. I lost 4 out of 8 to two dogs. My remaining girls were laying the next day. Prissy, to this day, refuses to grow her feathers back. She struts around looking featherless in places but still 'queen' of the roost!

Lisa

 

[AlaskanGal]

This just happened to me and my boyfriend on Sunday. One of our white leghorns was attacked by his stupid bird dog that was supposed to be in his kennel (boyfriend keeps him at his mother's house because he works on the road), but apparently wasnt, and she ended up gettin a hole torn into her back. Right now we've got her wrapped up in gauze with beeswax salve stuff on it and she's got a pretty good limp and she's free roaming by herself in the barn so the other hens don't peck her. My question is, if she lives, do you think she'll lay again?