Lost chicken - tips on how to help her find her way home? She's home!

DurangoChickens said:

I have been out in my field calling for him, and have heard his "special" crow three times now... what do you think the odds are, of him coming back!

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PtldChick said:

Today one of my bantams (ee x d'uccle, very pretty gold and lavender girl) flew over the run fence when she got startled by my spreading straw. I didn't know she could fly that well.

The dogs chased her around and she got in the corner behind my garden shed where the dogs can't get. When I went to find her, I tried to pick her up gently and as she is skittish, she jumped up and ran into the narrow space between the neighborhood backyard fences. I'm beating myself for not just grabbing her quickly...

I spent the next hour and a half (until dark) going to my various neighbors and in their yards to try to find her. I did finally spot her in the space between the fences, but couldn't get to her and she ran further back in. I tried chucking some small rocks to get her to run back to my property.

Eventually I hand-sawed away part of the laurel hedge in my yard to be able to climb into the space with a flashlight, but she was no longer there. She could have gotten out two maybe three different places into neighbors' yards, or she may have gone back into mine before I began sawing and hid beneath the garden shed for the night.

I'm hoping when she hears the rest of her flock in the morning that she makes an appearance so I can catch her and put her back - is this likely chicken behavior? First, I'm hoping she makes it through the night safely.

She seemed to do a good job of finding a safe hiding spot and sitting still in it when I was searching for her.

Most of my neighbors are already alerted to keep an eye out for her.

Any suggestions on what else to do to try to get her to come back home or catch her? I'm thinking of getting a small animal trap to put in that space with some chicken feed, maybe she'll go back into it if she's not hiding in my yard.

BTW, the dogs' door to the yard is out of commission until I can find her so that they don't get to her first!

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