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

[Parront]

Seriously was chasing them ALL over the dang place hahaha. They did not want to be caught AT ALL. I would take chasing a dog over a chicken any day of the week

Sounds like it was a team effort! Not an easy thing to herd birds!

 

[Fizzlecat]

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!

 

[MagpieDucks]

I have a story for y'all today!!!!!

The rescue I work for got a call about 4 dumped chickens by a park about an hour from me. Asked if I would go check it out...but of course!

I caught the first one IN the park, with help from my two year old the other three saw what was going and and ran across the road up a gigantic bluffy mountain thing that was covered in thick brush the original rescue person who saw them this morning came with a puppy x pen and we chased the other three up and down and around that dang mountain until at last we caught them up against a huge rock and the pen!!!

Three hens and one roo. I know the black girl is a bsl, the brown girls look like typically brown girls but have black tips on some of their feathering, and I don't know what the roo is. Any ideas? They're all in quarantine right now. The girls are here for good- not sure about mr.Roo yet. I've got a good balance going on with the ones I've got!

Red one is a Hatchery RIR, not sure on the others.

 

[Fizzlecat]

I’ve had luck trying to find out where they roost, if they are low enough, after dark, you can get them by their feet- if they’re higher up, I have a long handled fishing net that works well, if it doesn’t get hung up on twigs and limbs. If you find them roosting after dark, they’re not as likely to flee, from my experience. Good luck!

 

[MagpieDucks]

I’ve had luck trying to find out where they roost, if they are low enough, after dark, you can get them by their feet- if they’re higher up, I have a long handled fishing net that works well, if it doesn’t get hung up on twigs and limbs. If you find them roosting after dark, they’re not as likely to flee, from my experience. Good luck!

Mr Squatch, has been caught with this method, however Mrs. Squatch is presumably setting on eggs.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I’ve had luck trying to find out where they roost, if they are low enough, after dark, you can get them by their feet- if they’re higher up, I have a long handled fishing net that works well, if it doesn’t get hung up on twigs and limbs. If you find them roosting after dark, they’re not as likely to flee, from my experience. Good luck!

That is how the male was caught on page 12.
He is a cute little goober. You can see him on pages 12 & 13.

 

[Suzi18]

I need some help. I found this cute little half green/half blue egg in my run today. The only hen I have that is ready to lay and hasn't yet is my frizzle. I do have. Cuckoo Bluebar that is supposed to lay a blue egg but she is just 18 weeks and her comb is far from red. It's plumped up some but is definitely light pink. However my frizzle is 7 months with a bright red comb and wattle and hasn't laid yet. Could she be mixed with something like an EE possibly.

 

[Sassysouth]

I have a story for y'all today!!!!!

The rescue I work for got a call about 4 dumped chickens by a park about an hour from me. Asked if I would go check it out...but of course!

I caught the first one IN the park, with help from my two year old the other three saw what was going and and ran across the road up a gigantic bluffy mountain thing that was covered in thick brush the original rescue person who saw them this morning came with a puppy x pen and we chased the other three up and down and around that dang mountain until at last we caught them up against a huge rock and the pen!!!

Three hens and one roo. I know the black girl is a bsl, the brown girls look like typically brown girls but have black tips on some of their feathering, and I don't know what the roo is. Any ideas? They're all in quarantine right now. The girls are here for good- not sure about mr.Roo yet. I've got a good balance going on with the ones I've got!

How fun and exciting!!! They look shiny, bright and healthy.

 

[Sassysouth]

Pretty egg! Other than that, I have no input.

 

[21hens-incharge]

photo time!!! Cool egg by the way!

I need some help. I found this cute little half green/half blue egg in my run today. The only hen I have that is ready to lay and hasn't yet is my frizzle. I do have. Cuckoo Bluebar that is supposed to lay a blue egg but she is just 18 weeks and her comb is far from red. It's plumped up some but is definitely light pink. However my frizzle is 7 months with a bright red comb and wattle and hasn't laid yet. Could she be mixed with something like an EE possibly. View attachment 1164665