Chicken didn't come home :(

[Stuckinlove]

Did you look up high as well as down low? Sometimes young birds just flake out on the ground.

Yes and didn't see anything. I just went out and looked again but no luck

 

[Stuckinlove]

Thank you everyone for all of the support. I am still hoping that she will come home but I know that it is not a very good possibility. I'm glad I didnt find feathers or any signs of an attack though! I will let you know if she comes home tomorrow.

 

[Stuckinlove]

I also free range I have 4 young girls and have clicker trained them. I go out an hour or two before dark to get them to come home. I use the clicker and meal worms.

That is a very good idea! I think I will look into that, thank you!

 

[orchardflock]

This just happened to us last week. One adult hen (out of 5) and 4 two month old pullets (out of a group of 6) went missing. We searched high and low for at least an hour throughout our ~2 acre fenced property. We thought for sure they were eaten. Especially the adult one, because it seemed extremely unlikely that she would leave her flock mates on her own instead of going into the coup like every other night.

I was so happy when I went out at dawn to see all five of them run up to me. I don't where they spent the night, but my guess is up in the fruit trees hiding among the peaches.

I hope you find her in the morning.

 

[kandeice]

I have 8 free range chickens that come home at night to sleep on the coop and one of my girls (a 2-3 month old bantam polish mix) didn't come home

I am hoping that once the others are let out in the morning, she will meet up with them again. Has anyone had this experience?

I let my chickens free range. One night one of my Buff Orpington girls did not come home. I looked everywhere for her to no avail. Like you, I was very upset. All the other girls returned to the coop towards dusk and alas I was missing one. My husband kept telling me that the girl was probably dead. Oh, I cried.

However the next day she returned in the early morning. She was waiting for me to let the other hens to join her. She has been a problem child ever since, pulling the same stunt again and again.

So there is hope for your lost girl. Another thought, perhaps she has found herself a nesting area and has not returned for that reason.

None the less, I hope your little girl comes home soon.

 

[Stuckinlove]

It is very encouraging to hear that some chickens do this. I hope that this is the case with her. Fingers crossed!!

 

[TexasSam]

You will find her in the morning if you have A good rooster you would know if something happened because your rooster would be missing as well. Most of the time anyway or they would have came back earlier than normal. Do they seem frazzled when you locked them up tonight?

 

[Stuckinlove]

Well she wasn't there in this morning. I am just heartbroken I have two roosters that I raised from babies they are about 6months old and I have (had) 6 2-3 month old bantam pullets that are backyard breeds that I got about a month ago. I am working on getting the roosters some more girls so that they don't fight when they mature but they just stick together usually away from the girls. They both turned in early yesterday which was the only odd thing.
Sorry I am still pretty new to chickens but I love them so much.

 

[Leighe]

Well she wasn't there in this morning. I am just heartbroken I have two roosters that I raised from babies they are about 6months old and I have (had) 6 2-3 month old bantam pullets that are backyard breeds that I got about a month ago. I am working on getting the roosters some more girls so that they don't fight when they mature but they just stick together usually away from the girls. They both turned in early yesterday which was the only odd thing.
Sorry I am still pretty new to chickens but I love them so much.

@Stuckinlove, I am so sad for you today....my heart goes out to you. This is one of the downsides of loving chickens (or any animal). I'm so glad she had a home of love with you and she knew she was loved. Please try not to play the "what if" game with yourself. We can only love them, feed them, water them and talk with them but just like children, we cannot protect them 24/7. Even those who don't free range lose some to predators. Will be thinkin of you throughout the day...

 

[Pamela Warfield]

Well she wasn't there in this morning. I am just heartbroken I have two roosters that I raised from babies they are about 6months old and I have (had) 6 2-3 month old bantam pullets that are backyard breeds that I got about a month ago. I am working on getting the roosters some more girls so that they don't fight when they mature but they just stick together usually away from the girls. They both turned in early yesterday which was the only odd thing.
Sorry I am still pretty new to chickens but I love them so much.

I'm so sorry about your little girl. I've only had mine for a couple months and to lose one would break my heart.