Hawk!!!

[slordaz]

Thanks! surprisingly it wasn't the mom, it was the other hen (the only one who isn't currently being a mom.) The hen has been amazing with the chicks though, never pecks them, etc.

Probably has alpha status then, they can actually act more like a rooster when it comes to protecting their flock mates. she may be waiting to go broody too due to this if all the others are raising babies just be ready for that lol

 

[so lucky]

Yes, they absolutely will. It happened to me not more than a month or so ago - Hen with her 9 babies- swooped right down with me 10 feet away. Tight, well-secured aviary net is what saved them. Hawk tried to dive bomb 2 more times in other spots on the run and finally figured out that it was just going to bounce off every. single. time. Unless you're looking straight up, it's very, very hard to see, so it doesn't mess with aesthetics, as you can see on the 2nd picture.

View attachment 1895222 View attachment 1895223

Your run looks very inviting. What do you have as the floor? I can't see it well enough to tell but it looks good.

 

[as110]

I came here to hopefully find that a missing hen was actually sitting on a hidden nest and brooding. I left the coop door open still and hoping she will appear tomorrow morning. This is our pet chicken we hatched last year and she was friendly. She was on the bottom of the pecking order and she was always hanging around the rooster where she was safe. We are sad and hopeful. :0(

 

[Shezadandy]

Your run looks very inviting. What do you have as the floor? I can't see it well enough to tell but it looks good.

Thanks! No floor, just dirt, clay specifically.

It's got 6ft chain link that was dug into the ground about 4" down, then 1/2" hardware cloth on all 6ft of chain link. Stakes are pounded in every 2 ft or so, hooking the bottom of the fence. We sunk 12 ft tall round poles at various intervals to hold the aviary net up nice and high for walking around, and also to create plenty of air space between a diving hawk and the chicken on the ground.

Eventually I'll have the outside of the fence and run electrified, though except for the hawks, I haven't had any four-legged predator issues.

 

[Shezadandy]

I came here to hopefully find that a missing hen was actually sitting on a hidden nest and brooding. I left the coop door open still and hoping she will appear tomorrow morning. This is our pet chicken we hatched last year and she was friendly. She was on the bottom of the pecking order and she was always hanging around the rooster where she was safe. We are sad and hopeful. :0(

A friend of ours went through much the same thing. After a couple weeks they found her under some stairs in their cattle barn, which is a long way from the coop--- perfectly disguised - they only saw her because she moved a little. I hope you have the same outcome!

I would, however, advocate for keeping the coop door closed at night for the safety of the rest of your flock. If she's going to reappear, it's not likely to be at night anyhow.

Do you have a game camera? Like the kind that you attach to a fence post or tree and it takes pictures and/or video when the motion sensors pick up movement... look under things, even things you think there's no way she would fit into. You can also watch where your rooster goes- he may pay her visits if she is out there brooding on a nest.

 

[as110]

A friend of ours went through much the same thing. After a couple weeks they found her under some stairs in their cattle barn, which is a long way from the coop--- perfectly disguised - they only saw her because she moved a little. I hope you have the same outcome!

I would, however, advocate for keeping the coop door closed at night for the safety of the rest of your flock. If she's going to reappear, it's not likely to be at night anyhow.

Do you have a game camera? Like the kind that you attach to a fence post or tree and it takes pictures and/or video when the motion sensors pick up movement... look under things, even things you think there's no way she would fit into. You can also watch where your rooster goes- he may pay her visits if she is out there brooding on a nest.

I closed the door. I left it open as long as it wasn't dark.
We will install a camera. It was on the list of things to do, just didn't get it there yet.

 

[Shezadandy]

I closed the door. I left it open as long as it wasn't dark.
We will install a camera. It was on the list of things to do, just didn't get it there yet.

I will think happy thoughts for your missing hen. I hope she reemerges with a sweet little parade of baby peeps!

 

[Snowingamanda]

How nice that your hens didn’t get harmed! I came home just yesterday to find a huge halk on the ground feasting on my 4-week ole Brahma chick, the other chicks scared to death. We let them “freerangw” in the fenced in yard and there is plenty of bushes and vines creating a very nice cover... plus we have an outside cat next to the chicks. And it’s still hot out here in Ca, and so never saw hawks here, so thought it was safe :’( But none of that helped. So now I ordered the same aviary netting, except since it’s our yard, we kinda do want other birds to visit ... so I haven’t put it up due to these concerns. Hope we figure it out soon, but for now we leave our dog outside to watch over the babies...

 

[mountainchickens]

Probably has alpha status then, they can actually act more like a rooster when it comes to protecting their flock mates. she may be waiting to go broody too due to this if all the others are raising babies just be ready for that lol

I'm not sure we have room for any more babies...
Oh and I love your coop and run @Shezadandy !

I came here to hopefully find that a missing hen was actually sitting on a hidden nest and brooding. I left the coop door open still and hoping she will appear tomorrow morning. This is our pet chicken we hatched last year and she was friendly. She was on the bottom of the pecking order and she was always hanging around the rooster where she was safe. We are sad and hopeful. :0(

So sorry! I hope you find your hen! How long has she been gone? Hopefully she will come back with babies or just return...

How nice that your hens didn’t get harmed! I came home just yesterday to find a huge halk on the ground feasting on my 4-week ole Brahma chick, the other chicks scared to death. We let them “freerangw” in the fenced in yard and there is plenty of bushes and vines creating a very nice cover... plus we have an outside cat next to the chicks. And it’s still hot out here in Ca, and so never saw hawks here, so thought it was safe :’( But none of that helped. So now I ordered the same aviary netting, except since it’s our yard, we kinda do want other birds to visit ... so I haven’t put it up due to these concerns. Hope we figure it out soon, but for now we leave our dog outside to watch over the babies...

So sorry I hope that the rest of your girls will be alright!

 

[as110]

I'm not sure we have room for any more babies...
Oh and I love your coop and run @Shezadandy !

So sorry! I hope you find your hen! How long has she been gone? Hopefully she will come back with babies or just return...

So sorry I hope that the rest of your girls will be alright!

She disappeared sometime yesterday. She didn’t go into the coop. We do a head count every evening before we lock up.

My son saw her drinking this morning. He didn’t know he was supposed to follow her. At least we know she is alive.

She was broody before in the spring, she sat for almost 60 days but she couldn’t hatch anything. She kept making a mess on the nest, she broke eggs, and also she was disturbed a lot. Other hens kept putting new eggs in the nest, I tried to move her to a safe private corner but she wouldn’t have it. I took her into the house and covered her with a basket. I put the last eggs into the incubator to stop breaking and I gave her unfertilized eggs. She refused the first chick when it hatched, and then she abandoned the nest. We did a lot wrong in the name of helping her. I don’t expect she will be successful this time but she has a better chance if nobody is bothering her. Will see