Hen went missing months ago, we think someone else has her?

[1maria100]

One of my amazing laying RIR hens went missing back in September. They got over our fence one night, and we live in town so it's not exactly easy to track them down. This also happened in the middle of the night around midnight. We search the neighboring yard and we found the other chickens but not her. Recently we have been hearing squawking that sounds identical to hers, and we think someone may have found her and just kept her. We never put up missing posters, but it sounds like she is just half a block away or so. Should we knock on a few doors and try to get her back? Or would that be wrong since they have had her for this long? We really want her back now. Should I put missing posters up?

Thanks guys.

 

[FlaRocky]

Hi,

I would offer a reward for her.... How long ago was it? They have been caring for her and you did not post signs for her. Just trying to see it from both sides.

Good luck,

Maye

 

[SKG1121]

I would bring a picture around door to door and ask if anyone picked up a chicken that looked like her. If you think whoever has your chicken stole her and wouldn't tell you, you could ask to see their flock.

 

[1maria100]

It was in early September...so about 7-8 months ago.

 

[Chemguy]

I would let her go. Like you said, it has been months since she left and it sounds as if you had chalked her disappearance up to permanent, not temporary.

 

[Nicole01]

I would let her go. Like you said, it has been months since she left and it sounds as if you had chalked her disappearance up to permanent, not temporary.

As hard as it sounds, this is what I would also do. If they jumped out at midnight, something was after them like a raccoon. Unless someone took her for their own use. We keep our girls locked at night behind a steel door.

 

[1maria100]

Yeah I think that is what I will do...

But I'm pretty sure it wasn't a raccoon. They had been roosting on my fence for around a week before this happened and I had been trying to be good about locking them up on time every night but I had come home really late that night. I've never seen a raccoon around my house, and we live in town so there aren't as many. The rooster I had at the time was kind of mean and probably kicked them off the fence. I had seen him do it before, but those times they were lucky enough to fall into my yard.

 

[NovaAman]

DEJA VU! I swear I have read this post before!

Anyway, if she has been gone since September, and these other people have her, and you didn't put a notice about her missing, didn't go door to door asking... Note, I am playing devils advoc here.... Then those people who found her should keep her. Devils advoc again... of course they could have also tried to find her owner... and maybe they did, put an add up at a feed store or Craigslist and you missed it. Either way, if it is your missing hen, they have been caring for her for these 8 months... its their chicken now.

 

[1maria100]

Yeah, well I only had her for a month before she ran away, but I had been collecting her eggs for incubation and the main reason I want her back is because I have one of her chicks, and also she was the best layer I've ever had. She gave me two eggs in one day once. But she'd be 2 years old so she will be slowing down on egg production, and I doubt she'd care about her chick so it isn't too big of a deal.

-shrug-

Maybe I'll just get a new hen.