Evening rescue by Capt. Chickenman

[NHMountainMan]

As I was about to head outside to close up the run and tuck in the chicken for the night, the motion sensor lights and preditor warning sounds all lit up and went off.

So I sprinted to the coop to fight off whatever evil had befallen my flock. (Sprint is a massive exaggeration - with both knees and both hips replaced, I'm about as fluid as the Tin Man)

Turns out, it was the chickens themselves. They normally are sitting on their roosting bars, with the auto pop door closed, and I lock the run.

Instead they were still outside the run. Some were perched on the window ledge, some on the ground. I hearded them inside, and found 2 more had gotten into the coop.

After getting them all inside, only 11. Two were missing. I assumed a predator had killed 2 and that's why they didn't tuck themselves in normally.

By now it's pitch dark, and I'm turning on the electric fence and I notice my 2 missing pullets perched on the roof's peak. It took me another hour to figure out how to get them down from their 12' high perch. Me on a ladder with a fishing net duck taped to a long pole.

All chickens rescued and recovered.

So - what would cause such a change in behavior? Why didn't they head inside as they normally do?

 

[aart]

(Sprint is a massive exaggeration - with both knees and both hips replaced, I'm about as fluid as the Tin Man)

I can relate! Mine are shot but won't be replaced.

As to why.....maybe door closed early?

 

[Mvan42]

Could have been a predator that you didn’t see.

 

[NHMountainMan]

I can relate! Mine are shot but won't be replaced.

As to why.....maybe door closed early?

The door was still open when I first got there.

I put off the replacements for years, but when the pain got so bad that I couldn't sleep, I decided it was time. The surgeries were no fun but the pain improvement made it worth it for me.

 

[NHMountainMan]

Could have been a predator that you didn’t see.

That was my assumption until I found the last 2.
Could weather cause a change? The wind kicked up about an hour before dusk. And temps dropped into high 30s last night (though not until much later)

 

[sealer39]

Not the way you thought you were going to spend you evening is it? Been there, done that!
My first thought was a snake may have gotten in the coop and was gone or hidden by the time you got to them, but who knows.

 

[NHMountainMan]

Not the way you thought you were going to spend you evening is it? Been there, done that!
My first thought was a snake may have gotten in the coop and was gone or hidden by the time you got to them, but who knows.

Not at all the way I expected the evening to go!
I did go through the coop to make sure nothing was inside before I put them in. I couldn't find anything. My assumption was that something either attacked from the skies and missed, or something got zapped on the electric netting. It's starting to get colder at night, and the black bear yearlings are looking to fatten up before snow flies. We've had a few nights at near freezing levels - so maybe it triggered something. I need to collect game camera cards to see if I find anything!

 

[Folly's place]

I also think there was a predator scare. Maybe some critter was in the coop and then left. Glad everyone was okay!
'Tin man'? How about 'Bionic man'?
The last couple of times I actually ran, I was being chased by hornets! That's motivation, and I used to run for fun. Then.
Mary

 

[NHMountainMan]

Can weather changes make them freak out like they did? We had some very sudden wind gusts (40-50mph) for an hour or so. No thunderstorms hit but they must have passed close by with the sudden wind. I was shocked to see that I didn't lose anyone and that I didn't hurt any of them as I caught them!

My body of held together with screws, pins and titanium. They rebuilt me but I cannot say they made me better, stronger and definitely not faster!

 

[Folly's place]

Maybe the coop was actually rattling? Or a loose window, or something?
Rebuilt to be better, stronger, and faster than without the rebuild?!
Mary