Hen hiding in our neighbours hedge!

[l3mmmy]

Advice needed please!

We bought a new hen home Saturday, somehow she escaped on that same day (we have 2 other hens and 4 ducks and none of those have ever gotten out) and we’ve been looking since for her.

Neighbour came over earlier to say she’s been hanging about her garden since Saturday but thought it was fine because it ‘keeps going back’. Turns out she wasn’t going back she was just going into the hedge next to our garden to hide.

Spent about 45 minutes trying to get her to come out of the hedge but it’s really dense and she just kept moving. Now we can’t find her, although I’m 99% sure she’s still in there as we didn’t see her come out.

I’m worried she’ll be hungry and thirsty. What can I do?

 

[Kabootar]

Try catching her at night. Always keep your new birds locked in the coop for about a week before letting them out. I hope she is safe.
Good luck

 

[aart]

Put a feeder and waterer out there for her.
Catching her at night might be an option, if you can get at her...BTDT.
Had to rig a crate to be closed with a string from a hiding place,
put feed and water in crate for days before I was able to close the crate.

 

[jeepgirl13]

My landlord has a large net on a telescoping handle she uses to capture her pheasants when she need to move them or handle them. If you cant catch her at night, (which is when I've always had to catch the ones that don't go home), maybe try getting a net similar to this. I couldn't find one that looks exactly like hers, it has larger holes in the netting, but something like this, or a fishing net. Like one youd use to pull a fish in off the boat.

If you do go to get her at night, give it an hour or two after complete darkness to let her really get settled in. I've always taken a flashlight and "shined" them, keeping the light on their face so they freeze and cant see you. Then it's just a matter of swooping her up.

Once you get her, ground them for two weeks, and start free ranging in limited time. A couple hours before sunset, let them out each day for a week, then slowly start increasing the time. If she doesnt go back in, they gotta be grounded longer.

I just went through this, literally, last night with my birds. I just built them a nice new castle of a coop, and their first time out, one hen went back to it, the rest roasted in the lilac bush, under a hay bale, and just on the ground where their old coop used to be...

Needless to say they're grounded for another week.

 

[jeepgirl13]

Forgot to add the pic. I need more coffee still