Help - Neighbor's chicken escaped and now lives in my yard!

[TheMost]

Quote:
First, thank you all for your commentary - it's a big help.

As far as the original owner is concerned, they only recently found out that their hen is still alive. They had given up finding her but I believe would take her back if we caught her.

So now to my next question - what's the best way to catch a chicken? A Hav-a-Hart trap? A net? With my hands? Has anyone seen the 1st Rocky? - Stallone had a real tough time catching that chicken! Henny Penny trusts my wife and me so a big bad animal control guy would have a tough time getting close. And wouldn't animal control want to euthanize her? I'm trying to keep it simple and not hurt the bird. As far as I can tell, she's in great shape.

Thanks!

 

[bayouchica]

You might want to try get her while she's roosting at night.You'll have to follow her & find out where that is,lol.
Another thing you can try is when she comes to your door for morning food,( if you don't mind catching her in your house) get her inside & turn out the lights & catch her.

Wishing yall good luck & so very kind of you both for feeding her AND caring.

Someone else may have some more ideas for ya.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[jjthink]

First, thank for caring about and helping Henny Penny

Second, it doesn't sound like the people she was with are all that interetsed in finding her and catching her so I have my doubts about their place being the best home for her. That's just a sense from afar and I could be totally wrong.

JJ

 

[SeaChick]

You can probably catch her if both of you team up and corner her against a fence or something. Grab her around her body, holding her wings against her, or she'll flap them like crazy and make you drop her. Perhaps you could corner her and throw a towel over her? It'll stress her out, but better than having her freeze/get eaten.

The easiest thing, I'd think, is what other folks said, catch her when its dark. If you can locate her in the afternoon and watch her for a while, she'll probably go to wherever she roosts soon. Our girls are already inside roosting now (4:20) since its getting dark. Then wait an hour or so, go back with a flashlight, and grab her. Chickens apparently can't see in the dark and are pretty easy to handle at night.

If you have a dog crate, that's a good thing to keep her in until she has a home to go to. Or maybe a bathroom with an easy-to-clean floor? Remove anything she might eat that could hurt her, and provide some water and food.

Thanks for taking an interest in helping her!!!

 

[earthnut]

Catching her while she's alseep is a good way to do it, without any special equipment (except maybe a ladder).

You can also make/buy a hook to catch her with.

The towel idea is good too.

Hold her by both feet, to prevent her from scratching you. She'll flap and scream like a banshee, but don't let go. With both feet secured and tucked under an arm, she'll calm down quite nicely.

You can keep her in a large tupperware tub with wire mesh tied down with bungee cords as a lid, as a temporary shelter. Give her access to water and food at all times. (unlike dogs, chickens don't overeat) Some wood shavings (you can find them in the pet aisle) will help with poop control if she's in there more than a day or two. For emergency food, try rolled oats and whole or cracked dry corn mixed together. You can find the corn at a wild bird store.

Good luck!

 

[jimnjay]

You can try to hand feed her. She will eventually eat from your hand if she like the treats you are feeding her. Once she if buys eathing you might be able to quickly place you hand on her back and push her down to where you can then pick her up. They are pretty hard to grab when on the move but I have found with my standards that are not all that friendly that they will get submissive if the are pushed to the ground much like a rooster would do.

If you decide to keep her you will need to buy some chicken food. All the things you mentioned are nice treats but she will need something that is better balanced to keep her in good condition. Good Luck

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Update please!!! Waiting with baited breath to know what happened, lol!! Stacey (seachick) gave some good directions on catching her, hope it worked, and let us know how she is, better yet, post a picture!!

 

[TheMost]

Quote:
Once again, thank you all for your suggestions.

Here's what I'm going to try. We have a couple of dog crates and I'm going to see if Henny Penny will take her food inside one. She'll eat very close to me (she just won't let me touch or pet her) and I'll gently close the door. I'll also talk to her wayward owner (but I think they gave up) but most likely I'll post Henny Penny on the Give-a-way area of BYC. I have pictures which I'll also put on the site and this forum. Does that sound like a plan?

PS - I live in Long Island, NY so if anyone has been following this story and may want to give Henny Penny a home, you can speak up in this forum. I have 5 dogs who are very kind and gentle but I wouldn't want to take a chance that they harm Henny Penny - canine instincts may prevail! Thanks!

 

[arlee453]

Good idea - the trail of breadcrumbs approach!

Good luck finding her a home! I really think that if your neighbors didn't even realize their chicken was still alive or cared enough to ask the neigbors if they'd see her, then it's better for Henny Penny to find a home with someone who truly cares about their chickens.

Makes me think those neighbors just aren't true chicken people...

 

[Scrambled Egg]

yep, a good plan.