chicken went into the woods and would not return

[shend]

I have a 3 month old Buff that got separated from the flock free ranging and seemed to be lost in our woods. I found her, could not catch her and just waited her out. She eventually came closer and mingled with the rest of the flock, but went back in the woods. She spent the night out and finally showed up the next morning.

She is the runt of the girls and is always a little behind but why would she choose to go back to the woods after 3 months of going into the coop at night?

 

[Judy]

The others may be picking on her, and she just wanted some peace. You could try taking her aside once or twice a day and giving a nutritious snake (maybe a scrambled egg) to see if you can boost her nutrition a bit. You could also watch the flock to see if you can identify a ingleader "bully," and separate this one for a few days. Or -- she could be sick, and just be going off alone as sick animals so often do. Good luck with her!