Hi my name is Sherry

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sherrylynnk75

sherrylynnk75

Hatching
Jul 26, 2016
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I am new to chickens. I got my first ones 10 Rhode Island Red Comets about 2 months ago. Three days ago I got two 10 week old Silver Spangled Hamburgs. Fell in love with them because they are gorgeous. I tried keeping them in the nest while my big girls were free ranging, so they could adjust. When I opened the coop to put water in there they both flew out and went into the woods behind their coop. Inside those woods is an abandoned shed. It's been 3 nights and I just can not catch them. I've tried treats, a mealworms trail to the compost pile. We got real close today but once they got spooked they both flew up into seperate trees. I don't know what to do
 
Greetings from Kansas and :welcome. Great to have you here! Sorry about your runaways. Hamburgs are a flighty, spooky bird. Do they roost in that abandoned shed? If so can you get them in the dark. They are pretty night blind and it might be easier. Can you lure them back and trap in their coop and lock them in for a few days so they know it is home? Best of luck corraling them!
 
If you are able to catch them - please don't free range. Put them in an enclosed run with top. Maybe you can set out food for them and get them following a trail back to the coop.
 
Welcome to BYC. Sorry to hear your two new gals are being difficult. Using treats to lure them in is a good idea, but without them identifying your coop as their safe place or seeing you as their trusty keeper, they might be reluctant to give up their freedom. Do they sleep in the shed in the woods at night or are they in trees? If in the shed could you close off any means of escape after they go to roost (even old blankets tacked up) so you could corral them. I am pretty new to chickens but have had livestock all my life and what seems to work when food doesn't is to make where they are less desirable than where you want them. If you can gather several people, "push" the chickens out of the woods towards your yard (mine seem to have an adversion to anything white that waves). As the chickens move the outside folks can move up so that you start to create a funnel affect to push them into an enclosure in your yard where you can catch them. Hopefully you get some other suggestions and you find something that works. Good Luck!
 
Hi and
welcome-byc.gif


Sorry to hear about that! I would keep doing what you're doing, and I agree, your best bet to catch them is probably at night. If you could find out where they're roosting, then you might be able to return when it's dark out and put them back in the coop. And drumstick diva is right, they probably won't be the best birds for free ranging if you get them back.

I wish you the best of luck and thanks for joining us!
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They sound like my Hamburgs. Every night it's the same. They roost on top of their coop fence. When you walk around to shoo them off they fly to the fence on the opposite side. Back and forth. Very frustrating. Going out on a moonless night and will grab them and clip their flght feathers. That should put a stop to that nonsense! Good luck to you!
 

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