Best way to catch a peahen that escaped....?

[mominoz]

One of my young peahens got away from me, when I was moving her to another pen. She flew off (surprised as she has never been out or flown).. found a tree top, I called to her, she turned her head, then later flew nearer the area where all the birds live in a tree. (after a silly see saw attempt to roost on a power line). I have caught chickens at night, mice, hampsters, horses, dogs, cats, wild predators....but how do I catch a peahen? I think she recognizes the ducks and geese out in pasture that were next to her pen... but my other peas are silent... you'd think they might call her... but no. I put a food container she is familiar with near one of the pea pens... and there is water, but ? I have neighbors on the other side of the trees who might mistake her for a white turkey or vulture... aaargh... I figure I might 'get lucky', at night, if I can reach her with my net... if I can find her...Or maybe herd her brother and sister into one half of her pen and see if she can figure out how to get in it, but she would have to manuver around a labarith of fencing....sheesh...a youn black shouldered I was going to keep...

 

[sourland]

An open pen with brother and sister calling should work. Good luck.

 

[KsKingBee]

Do not chase her, she will be at the pen door in the morning waiting for you to let her back in.

 

[mominoz]

Well, last night she was in the Cypress trees (20ft tall hedge between us and neighbors., we got a 12 ft step ladder and my net...nope didn't get her, ..now she is on top of her sisters and fathers pen...her pen is nearby, but thru some gates... I think this is going to be a 'cat and mouse ' game; I put some food on the ground and the duck ponds are also around, so she will have food and water , their feeders are white milk cartons with a hole cut out to protect the feed from rain, so she should be able to find it...I wll also scatter some...there is a tarp on one side of her sisters an d brothers and her pen, I think I will take it down so she can see them... if she gets near it, I might be able to sneak up at some point as there are smaller pens and fenced pens so she may be able to get trapped.....aaarggh... If I catch her she will get a good name.. there are lots of predators in the area...coons, coyotes, not sure if the crows will bother her that steal my ducks leftover food and eat a few eggs if they get to them first, vultures, eagles about 15 miles away...neigbors with dogs ...thankful it isn't Turkey season or someone might think she is a white turkey...not that seasons mean much around here...I handled them as babies, but not after they all moved out to the growout pen...this reminds me why all my other birds can't fly or at least not very tall...

 

[KsKingBee]

If you feed her outside of the pen she will not NEED to go back in the pen where she knows there is feed. You can herd her back into the pen but you can not chase her, scare her or do anything to make her nervous. You must be very slow and patient and let her find her way back into her pen.

 

[Dany12]

Bread!

 

[mominoz]

Caught! She flew to the top of her father and sisters pen and stayed there. So I waited till after dark, got a 12 ft. ladder , a bamboo pole to nudge her within reach of my net...took about an hour of skulking and maneuvering around...I finally netted her and put her with them as it was the closest pen....she never figured out how to get back to her orginal pen.... and the next day it poured all day...so glad to get her out of the rain and into cover.

 

[casportpony]

Congrats on catching her!