Anyone have luck catching a feral chicken?? UPDATE: Rooster caught, no hen

[theuglychick]

About 2 months ago, I was walking along the edge of the woods on my property and I spooked off what I thought was a lone wild turkey. I heard flapping and frantic clucking which I've heard before when I walk up on them roosting before dusk. I've seen dozens of wild turkeys around here and didn't think much more of it. Except this one sounded exactly like a chicken.

Over the past several weeks this happened once again, same spot. Weird wild turkey, right?

This morning i slept a little later than normal and I'm walking to my coop to let my birds out of the coop and I hear frantic clucking and think, "man, I didn't put one of my girls up, it's a wonder she made it through the night alive." Looked in the coop, all my girls and guys are there. At this point I'm certain I'm losing my mind.

Fast forward to this evening, about an hour before roosting, I was cleaning out my brooder and go to dump the shavings along the edge of the woods and I hear the fleeing frantic flapping and clucking again, but this time I see it... it's a darn chicken! Not one of mine, either. She took off through the woods.

I have a wild chicken, y'all. I think she was calling this morning because she was looking for my birds because they weren't out yet.

I went out after dark but there was no sign of her, that I could see. I put cracked corn out for her.

Only one of my neighbors has chickens and his are locked up tight without ever being let out to free range and they are bantams. This is definitely not a bantam. I don't know where she came from. No one else around me has chickens.

My husband doesn't believe me. We are going to put his game cam out where I've been spooking her and tomorrow morning I'm going to wait before I let my birds out to see if we hear her.

I just think this is the neatest thing. She's GOT to be lonely out there. Anyone have any suggestions on how to catch her? She's been living in the wild unseen for at least 2 months that I know of!

 

[staceyj]

First of all I can't WAIT to hear how this story ends...

 

[staceyj]

And second, thanks for being a good enough soul to try!
Wow!
Poor lonely thing.
Somebody could have noticed that you and /or your neighbor keep chickens and didn't want her any more and drove by and dumped her.
* if so, may they rot in hell
Or maybe she flew the coop!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

You could try enticing her with your chickens. Like you said I'm sure she is lonely and looking for a flock. Put a little food and water out by the edge of the woods before you let your birds out. Keep an eye out for her and see how she and your flock respond. It may take several days if not longer to earn her trust. I'd pick everything up before bed too. Attracting predators to the area isn't helpful.
If that doesn't work you could go looking for her in the night. She's obviously resourceful having survived this long. She probably roosts in a tree where she feels safe. You may have to don a head lamp and go on a hunt. Good Luck!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think it is possible to catch her.

Gonna be tricky though.
If it were me I would look for where she is roosting.
Go for a walk the direction she scattered to and look for a pile of droppings under a tree. It would've where she is sleeping.
Once you have found where she sleeps the trick will be to get ahold of her without getting flogged to death.
She may be sleeping high up..... That would make things dangerous. If she sleeps high up I would be looking at another plan. One like luring her into a pen.

 

[getaclue]

Feed, patience, and a long handled fish net.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

That's what I was thinking, a large hav-a-hart trap set just before dawn with corn or what ever she seems to like. Good luck. A friend and I tried to catch a wild rooster who was living in the parking lot of the hospital we worked at with a large fishing net, after hurricane Katrina, needless to say it didn't work. Although I am sure it was quite a sight to see 2 RNs running around a parking lot every afternoon chasing a rooster with a net.

 

[TexasSam]

What 21-hens said during the light find her poo when you do look up that's where she is sleeping it will probably be in the same area every night. Secondly don't make A lot of ruckus and run her off. Third chickens are to curious for their own good sometimes which will work in your advantage. If you have A game trap big enough for A chicken put some food in it during the day and at night after roost pick it up. Before 6 am put it back out you will catch her.
She will probably be seen within 20 yards of your chickens if you watch for her

 

[theuglychick]

Thanks for all the great feedback and advice.

This is definitely going to become a full-blown operation.

Although she's lasted this long I feel like I'm racing the clock with the fact that we have almost every predator there is.

The place where I've spooked her and seen her this evening is where my birds frequent. My thoughts are if she's calling to them, they may have had some contact at some point, right?!

The spot where she was is where they go in the woods and scratch and roll around under the pine trees in the dirt. They've got it completely dug up out there. Little mounds of chicken hills and craters everywhere. So I know they and her are in the same area at some point.

But they also basically go all over the 12 acres that we have here and we've never seen her or heard her.

We will start tomorrow with listening for her in the morning. I'll also bring a large water dish out there for her.

We will set the cams out over the next couple of days.

Why would a chicken be so wild?! Mine have literally stowed away in people's vehicles, rode off with them to somewhere else, flew out of the vehicle, and walked right up to strangers and let them catch them. This one hasn't been seen until today?!

From what I've seen in a fleeting streak, she looked red or buff with a white tail, and definitely a female.

I have no idea how she's survived out there!

 

[theuglychick]

PS I'm calling her Sasquatch because I've only caught a glimpse of her and no one here believes me.