Escapee - should I be concerned?

[leeyuh]

Two of my hens are getting out during the day...the Ameracauna and the Campine...

The Ameracauna is for sure getting out to lay, because I've found her nest, and every time she gets out, I find an egg in it.

The Campine, on the other hand, may or may not be getting out to lay. She is 19(ish) weeks old (same as the Ameracauna), but I haven't seen her nest anywhere...she just forages around in some bushes in the neighbors yard, and flies back into the pen when I come close to her to see what she's up to. We are gone during the day so there's no telling how much time she spends over there.

The neighbors yard is huge and has tons of piles of mulch, leaves, compost, etc for her to explore.

We have a rooster, who has been pretty busy with the hens lately.

Should I be concerned about her possibly having a nest somewhere in the neighbors yard? I'm not worried about her safety at all -- she's fast and she can fly. I just don't want her to come back with a busload of chicks some day. Or do Campines (and other flighty foragers) have an appetite to break away from the rest of the flock and explore?

Thanks for your input

 

[christineavatar]

My tell tale sign would be if she RUNS to get to your neighbor's yard. Whenever my chickens have their 'private' nests they tell me about it by running to it when I let them out of the coop.

 

[leeyuh]

She mostly leaves when I'm not home, so I have no idea if she's running or not. She just comes and goes as she pleases. BUT, when I AM home and she gets out, she is quiet, I don't hear the clucking from her like I do when other chickens lay (I don't even know if she's old enough to lay -- 19 weeks?)

 

[bobbi-j]

If she's coming back in the evening, she's not going to come back with a busload of chicks someday. She has to sit on them, day and night, for about 21 days for that to happen. I'd be more concerned about the possibility of unhappy neighbors if your chicken tears up their garden or messes up their walk or lawn.

 

[StrayMagnet]

yea if she's going to have chicks elsewhere she's going to claim that as her new home to raise her chicks...
We had a chicken stray into our yard a little over a month ago. Little did we know she had started to lay eggs under our porch.. I just assumed she visted every morn.. I fed her crackers and bread..and some oats.. and once she had her fill she disapeard. I had no clue where she went. Let alone had any clue she was nesting under my porch., On the 9th of july I found her with chicks on the side of my house.

so now we have 12 chickens. 11 chicks and mom. no clue where she came from either. but since she's been already living with us a month (even thou we didnt know) we figured turn her area she layed into her coop. and i have plans to expand it. were only keeping her beacuse I dont know of any close neibors with chickens.. I hear roosters.. just dont know where they are lol.. so she apparently had fun with a rooster somewhere.

but you could try a "stake out" if your worried.. on a day off just watch her from afar.. get some view glass's. and see if she heads somewhere and seems to have eggs.. Then you will know

 

[leeyuh]

Interesting story!

My neighbor has a high fence around his garden so I'm not worried about her getting in...plus he has 5 hens and a bantam roo, who he lets free range. So far no encounters between the two flocks...but what would happen if they did encounter? Fight?

 

[StrayMagnet]

YUP! Hence my Forum name "straymagnet" Chicken started to show up almost a 2 month ago. 2-3 weeks after her.. a Dog showed up.. we joked he was lookin for the chicken,, so we have had the dog 1 month.. as of the 13th..

so I know she didnt come wandering from someones house just to lay a nest. she already by the time she decided to live here.. lost her way to her home. and claim our house as her new home once the silly human girl (me) started to feed her. lol.
and in 2 months she's been visiting, no ones come around seeking out a lost chicken. so I'm assuming that they wont.. so we decided to take her in.. and let her come n go.. but once she had the chicks.. we decided to make the porch she had the eggs under. the coop.

not sure i'll let her return to free range. if we do it will be when our yard is fenced

 

[StrayMagnet]

Quote:
well considering they are close and can always see eachother i assume and smell eachother. I would think they could get alone fine.. woudlnt be suprised if their roo Sire one of your hens lol.
think that is how our Resident hen got "with chicks". I hear roosters somewhere. up the road farther.. so I'm assuming she found that rooster.. a few weeks after she decided she lives here. if she lived there you'd think she'd stay there to lay her eggs.. so that is why I think she already decided she lived with us.