free range

[deerhunter1969]

Hello, I have had my chickens penned up in coop for 7 days but I had my 2 roosters free ranging for day 1. I let them out to free range for the first day yesterday. I had to leave and didn't get back till after dark. When I got home my 4 barred rocks were in coop ,but the rest were roosting on bench where roosters always roost. I tried to catch them and put them into coop a one got away. I looked last night but could not find her and still missing this morning. Can I expect that she is gone or ciuld she come back?. Should I let them roost where they want or keep trying to get them into coop? Thanks

 

[RAM4171]

Sorry to hear that you lost one. I made the mistake off not putting them on lock down for a week, and every night there was a struggle of plucking them out of a cedar tree and getting them in the coop. I was a little lax at first about making sure everyone was up in the coop and lost 3 to racoons. Needless to say I do head count every night now. When they started turning up missing I locked them down for a week and now they put themselves up every night. On the racoons, I don't say that I have racoon problem, but that the racoons have a Rusty problem.

 

[deerhunter1969]

Update, my hen came back. She must have been roosted in my tree line. Well all is good. Hope they go into coop tonight.