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Birds--General/Hens not laying since fox attack
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Question
I have three hens in the back garden and one of the hen has survived two fox
attacks with the second leaving her quite badly injured and now with half a
wing. She is fine again now and they all eat normally and seem contented
except when the attack happened 2 months ago they were all molting and
since then none of them are laying at all. Do you think this is because of the
fox attack and they don't feel secure or have I not left enough time for the
molting process to complete ?
I don't expect the hen which was attacked will lay for quite a while, as she must have had a terrible time!! It's most probably a mix of the colder weather (I'm guessing you live in Britain), the molting AND the fox attack which is why they're not laying. I find that after the hens appear to have all of their feathers after a molt it still takes them a little while to start laying again. Be sure to feed them lots of green vegetables and plenty of protein too as this will help them ease back into laying faster.
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| Comment | Thanks for the advice they are roaming about eating a lot of grass and green foliage in the garden so hopefully this wil encourage them to start laying again. | ||
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Answers by Expert:
Abi
Expertise
I CAN'T ANSWER QUESTIONS ON ANIMALS OTHER THAN CHICKENS/DUCKS/GEESE- I WILL TRY BUT THEY ARE NOT MY SPECIALIST SUBJECT- PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT BUDGIES, FINCHES, PARROTS, COCKATIELS OR OTHER 'EXOTIC' BIRDS. I can answer questions on pretty much all CHICKEN breeds, including fancy and bantam birds. I can give advice on how to get the best egg production, brightest yolk colours and darkest egg shell colours, breeding (using broody hens, not incubators), bird problems/illnesses. I can give advice on all aspects of basic chicken care but I breed chickens for my own pleasure only, I do not often show or sell my birds.
Experience
I own and breed a wide range of chickens, but I speciallise in cochins and crevecour bantams; crevecours have a large crest (an afro!) so I can answer questions on problems concerning them; cochins have feathered legs, which leads to no end of problems which I have experienced! I also own a large flock of domestic, rescued 'battery' hens, and a single maran hen, Hilda, who is the matriarch of her flock, so I can give advice on how to get the best colour of maran eggs!
Education/Credentials
n/a
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