Hen left the coop and won't return. What to do?

[krhoam125]

Hello! my hen, FrenchFry, left the coop yesterday and went across a small strip of pond into my neighbors yard. We spent hours into the night from the late afternoon trying to get her to come back but she just stays in that area. We watched her try to get across the pond every time my rooster, PopRocks, would crow but she just didn't seem to understand to go around the way she got there. She usually has a tendency to get out and go roam within a few feet of the coop but this is over hundreds of feet away. They all have been trained to go in at night but she never returned. This morning we got up and saw her in the same exact spot doing the same exact thing, foraging until PopRocks would crow which would prompt her to attempt to cross the pond and give up. What can I do? She won't come to us, she runs in circles instead of back to the coop/our yard. I'm worried for her safety. I didn't see any eggs over there but they just started to lay within the past week. This is my first time owning chickens and I just want them to be safe.

FrenchFry is a Silver Laced Wyandotte
PopRocks is a Black Sex Link

I didn't know if it mattered the breed but that's what they are.

 

[-Chanticleer-]

Can you get a butterfly net and catch her that way or entice with treats?

 

[krhoam125]

Can you get a butterfly net and catch her that way or entice with treats?

We tried using a blanket, a shirt, and a sheet to cover her but she's fast but also wont leave the brush line. We also tried mealworms but that only got her out far enough for us to see the opportunity to get her but she just runs back into the bushes before we can either cover her with anything or encircle her.

I'll try a butterfly net though if I can find one though..

 

[-Chanticleer-]

We tried using a blanket, a shirt, and a sheet to cover her but she's fast but also wont leave the brush line. We also tried mealworms but that only got her out far enough for us to see the opportunity to get her but she just runs back into the bushes before we can either cover her with anything or encircle her.

I'll try a butterfly net though if I can find one though..

Will she follow your rooster out if you take him over there? Maybe tie a “leash” on him and use him to coax her out? Hope you can get her back.

 

[krhoam125]

Will she follow your rooster out if you take him over there? Maybe tie a “leash” on him and use him to coax her out? Hope you can get her back.

I think so! She is very attached to him and is typically never far from him. This was my first thought, i just worried about him getting loose as well. Thank you for both very good ideas! I will try them both out as soon as I can. I appreciate it very much!

 

[-Chanticleer-]

I think so! She is very attached to him and is typically never far from him. This was my first thought, i just worried about him getting loose as well. Thank you for both very good ideas! I will try them both out as soon as I can. I appreciate it very much!

No problem hoping for the best!

 

[SourRoses]

You should try shooing her.
Grab a large item each (I use an oversized plastic rake, but a big piece of fabric could work, or a sign, etc.).
Go WIDE, steer clear of her as much as the environment will allow, until you're behind her a ways. Hopefully you have at least 2 people, more is even better.

Spread out so one of you is blocking her from the main alternative route (around the pond the wrong way, towards some woods, whatever looks like she would want to go there). That person is like the goalie, they need to be prepared to dart left & right and use their objects extended from their body as a deterrence.
The other person should be pushing, from a distance, the chicken towards your place. Use those objects extended from your body so you don't seem like just 2 legs to run around, you ought to appear like an impassable big bird.
It's important not to panic the bird, or else she may dart around erratically. So, keep your distance. If she stops moving or comes back, don't close up on her, instead use your objects (a "wing flap" is very effective bird language). Having extra space from her will also give you time to react if she darts left or right.
The goalie should advance more slowly, only to close the avenue of escape, but allow the pusher to lead so they can react to what the bird is doing. Don't bunch up together, you are meant to be a moving fence.
Any additional people should fill in the largest gaps, but behave like the goalie and follow the pusher. You don't want multiple people intimidating the bird because she will freak out and go in any direction.

I know I made this sound complicated, I just wanted to capture the nuances for anyone who hasn't herded before. The trick is really just to provide enough pressure from the right angles without overdoing it.
She should go running home to her flock as soon as she has a straight path.

 

[Penpal]

As Sour Rose wrote, become a collie. Herd the hen around the pond. One thing you could do is put the rooster in a small crate and bring him around the pond at a half way point so when he crows he leads her in the right direction.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I agree with herding, especially if your neighbor is ok with you getting in there real quick to get this taken care of. I had a pullet fly onto a divider island in the middle of the creek and I had to get out there behind her with a rake and shoo her back towards our shore (being a brat she immediately flew into a large cluster of bushes, but at least it was on dry land).