Catching my chicken

[emmapike]

Hello

I am new here - the website came up numerous times while googling so thought it must be good!

We have a small flock of chickens and recently discovered that two of them can fly quite well. One was spooked by a neighbours cat while out of the coop and flew away. It's gone across a small road and into a garden maybe 250 metres away.

The home owners are being really lovely about it and let us know what's happening. We have tried to catch it once but, of course, it flew away.

It's been gone a week and I assumed a fox or cat had it (I am in the UK so no other predators) but the neighbour has said it is still there roosting in a tree. We cannot get within a few feet of her and I just cannot think of a way to catch her.

Does anyone have any bright ideas?

Thanks everyone.

 

[featheredplanets]

Firstly, Welcome to BYC

Sorry your chicken ran off, they can be real pests sometimes. Are you able to climb up the tree she’s roosting in? You could grab her at night if so. If not, you
could try to lure her back into your garden with treats, corn, mealworms etc. Or if your neighbours have a shed, you may be able to tempt her in to it and grab her. I’m sure others will chime in with good ideas. But I’m not sure your hen’s luck will last much longer, everything is hungry in winter.

 

[coach723]

I would try using the treats to get her back closer to your coop. Put a light in the doorway of your coop so it's lit up at dusk and after dark (flashlight or led lantern), that may entice her to come in.
Once you catch her I would clip her wings to try to keep her in until she decides it's home. This is painless and often works, though really motivated and light bodied birds can compensate sometimes and still fly out. The feathers grow back at the next molt. By then hopefully she's decided to stay. Links below for how to do it.
If you have to catch her then doing it after dark may be the only way you can. You may have to resort to using a large net.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Clipping-Chicken-Wings/
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/how-clip-chickens-wings-beginners

 

[Ebony Rose]

Mine played that "in a tree" game with me. I took a flashlight and broom out to the tree one night and 'lifted' them off of the branch with the bristled end of the broom and lowered them into my hands. Put them back where I wanted them to sleep instead, and went back to the tree with the broom to fetch another until I had the whole flock out of my tree. Chickens do not see well at night and will pretty much let you get away with this. Should one decide to come off of the broom prematurely, you can CALMLY walk up to the bird with the light shining next to them, but not right in their face... then place a hand over their back and shoulders until you can get them into your arms. If you normally use a phrase or noise for 'treat time', you can softly repeat this phrase or noise to reassure them that it's YOU that's disturbing their sleep.

 

[JohnTheChickenMan]

 

[JohnTheChickenMan]

I noticed this is an older post so I'm assuming you (or something) already caught your chickens. But for readers that may still have this problem.... if the chicken is real flighty or skittish you may have to spend some time in the evening and watch from a distance to see where it goes to roost. Once you've found the spot wait till completely dark and either climb and grab her. Or use a long pole to gently lift her from the limb, rafter, etc like was mentioned b4.
You could try putting a live trap baited with corn (with a hair trigger)
If u can get close just put a cage propped up with a stick. Tie long rope to your stick, then put feed in the pen and wait.