2 Hens missing without a trace

[Joyryder]

Last night when I locked everyone up I took a count - 2 hens were missing. They were my flighty Ameraucanas. I looked everywhere, under the coop, in the trees, but couldn't find them or any feathers. Although the were capable of flying to the top of the 6 foot dog run, they rarely did it and always came back into the run area. Every so often when the hens did get out they always stayed right outside the coop. I have a couple of escape artists that refuse to stay in the coop or run and they were still around. I looked this morning, but I found nothing. Not a sign. So sad. If a hawk grabbed them would there be feathers?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Hawks often leave feathers. They pluck birds before they feed.
A Fox will tend to carry off a whole bird
Did they disappear from your run or were they free ranging?

 

[Joyryder]

My DH found them. They squeezed into a tight rocky section between the coop and the barn. It took him 15 min to free each bird. Now he's busy making sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[baldie]

I have some hens like that. My Splash Andalusian and my Ancona and a few others. They sleep in the trees and refuse to be with everyone else. And they were all raised together since day 1 and they are now 18 mths old.

I figure they are happy and its what they want to do so I just let them be. I could lock them up and they would surely be unhappy, and it would be for my sake not theirs so I am leaving it the way it is for now. I just hope come Winter and the snow that they will be smart enough to go in the coop.

 

[chickensioux]

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Yay! Glad it wasn't a predator issue and they are safe.

 

[Joyryder]

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I guess there are some who just have to have it their way!

 

[Joyryder]

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I'm glad too. puzzle is solved.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Glad to hear you found them
Something may have scared them to make them behave that way

 

[kga]

I had a wonderful Ameraucana hen that laid her blue egg every single day. I lock my 9 hens up every night, and last night I locked them up making sure I did a head count of 9. This afternoon after I ran some errands I collected eggs but no blue egg. I thought that strange so I looked over the entire 1/4 acre wooded lot that's fenced in with a 5 ft cyclone fence for my hen. No sign of her anywhere. Did something drag her off in broad daylight? She wasn't able to fly out of the area b/c I clipped their wings, so something took her out of the fenced in wooded lot and left no trace of her whatsoever. I might expect this during the night had she been left outside the coop, but broad daylight?

 

[kga]

I should have updated this posting a month ago. I found my hen!! She had dug her way into a compost bin that I had filled with hay for freshening my hens' nests. I just happend to look inside and there she was healthy and happy as could be, even though she'd gotten in there and could not get out. She was sitting on 3 eggs! Bless her heart, she laid an egg every day in that bin. I took her out and removed the bin and she was fine, although a bit dehydrated. She hasn't laid an egg since, but I don't blame her! I was so thrilled to find her alive and fine, but she sure wants that compost bin back!