Do chickens hide?

[kansasgirlinutah]

We have 8 hens who free range in our backyard. It's only 1/4 acre property with shrubs along all fence lines and several trees. One of our RIRs disappeared last week for a couple of days. We thought maybe an assault by air had taken place due to the lack of any feathers or other signs of a struggle. Then, she just shows up yesterday, eats some treats, lays an enormous egg and now she's gone again. We have looked EVERYWHERE for her several times. Any ideas of where she could be going and why she seems to be hiding out?

 

[HEChicken]

She could be broody and sitting on a nest somewhere. Are you sure it was her who laid the egg and not one of the other hens?

 

[yinzerchick]

I have a few that get up into the low branches of a couple pine trees along our fence line and sit. They're all but impossible to see unless you know they're there, and they stay quiet too. Perhaps you have looked at her, but just not "seen" her. Keep looking, hope you find her okay!

 

[kansasgirlinutah]

We have 3 RIRs and to be completely honest, I'm not absolutely sure it was her that layed the egg. I just saw one in our new nest box and thought it was the missing girl.

 

[kansasgirlinutah]

Will they stay there even when feeding treats or when it gets to be dusk? She has not been in the coop for several days now.

 

[HEChicken]

If they are broody, then yes, they will stay on the nest practically 24/7, only getting off long enough to stretch legs, eliminate and get something to eat and drink.

 

[mstrrlm]

Have you associated a word or words with the treats so they will come when called knowing they wii get treat? If so just give the treats when she comes follow her, be sneaky about it and you will find out where she is going. I suspect she is broody.

 

[kansasgirlinutah]

Thank you all!!!! We found her and yes she was broody. We have tons of shrubs so we clipped all of them back and we have pine trees and we checked all of them. We were just about to give up when our little nonsense went behind our wood pile, which we had never seen her do before. We looked there several times, but chickie is brown and so is the wood. Finally looked really good and found her sitting on 5 eggs. We gave her a cool water bath and put her in the coop. Hope she gets over it and gets back to normal. Thanks again for the support and information.

 

[kansasgirlinutah]

Oh my gosh.....I typed a word for the breed of our dog and it was changed to "nonsense" How funny!! Must have been a dirty word.

 

[ChickenSnake]

Lol what word was it?