I don't know if my chicken is gone or what

[MrsRichey201126]

Are you in a rural or urban setting? Do you have predators like stray dogs, coyotes, raccoons, badgers, big cats, anything like that? Aerial predators like hawks have been known to swoop down and snatch a bird practically from under a guardian's nose, so being out there with them is no guarantee of safety. On the other hand, she may be cultivating a hidden nest somewhere. Good luck finding her!

I live in a residential area in South Carolina. On like 2 1/2 acres . As far as like predictors we have deer that enter that area of the yard but and I'm sure a possum every now and then . We live on a pretty open 2 and half acres . I have like one tree back there and the rest of it's open and stays mowed for the most part.
And I would think something happens to her in the night last night but the have a new building and they are put in there every night now . And I let them out this morning . And she was there . When I say all day I was there I do mean here and there but I saw her since I got back.
Now even with that being said my rooster has been on both leghorn ladies like it's going out of style. . We did see a mole or Beaver earlier but he didn't act like he was there to hurt them and as far as I know he didn't mess with none of them .. he was just passing through lol.

 

[MrsRichey201126]

She may be broody. It isn't unheard of in Leghorns.
But it is possible that she was killed by a predator. Sometimes there is no evidence.
One (VERY unlikely) thing is, if there is absolutely no evidence, is someone could have taken her. One funny/ weird story I heard from a friend was: One day they went out to lock the coop up and noticed that two of their Partridge Rock hens were missing. They checked their yard cam to see if a predator had gotten them. They saw a car pull up and someone jump out and grab the two hens, and then speed off. Thankfully the cam caught the plate number, and they were able to get their hens back. Again, PROBABLY nothing like that.

 

[MrsRichey201126]

She may be broody. It isn't unheard of in Leghorns.
But it is possible that she was killed by a predator. Sometimes there is no evidence.
One (VERY unlikely) thing is, if there is absolutely no evidence, is someone could have taken her. One funny/ weird story I heard from a friend was: One day they went out to lock the coop up and noticed that two of their Partridge Rock hens were missing. They checked their yard cam to see if a predator had gotten them. They saw a car pull up and someone jump out and grab the two hens, and then speed off. Thankfully the cam caught the plate number, and they were able to get their hens back. Again, PROBABLY nothing like that.

In that case I would be soooooo pissed . And i wouldnt put it pass some around here but I also have had them a while so for someone to just take one all the sudden would be really odd but yes it's definitely a possibility your right.
So there hasn't been any evidence , I will say however I have some younger iv raised and released with the rest of the flock .. you would think they would go for them because they are smaller . I dk just what I think .. now it being day light still when I noticed she was gone limits predators of the night . I don't have mountain lions And our lawn isn't surrounded by many trees at all . I have like one tree in my whole yard .
With the hawk idea , what makes that something kinda ruled out is because I have like 13 ish chickens in all and that would be a field day.

 

[MrsRichey201126]

Are you in a rural or urban setting? Do you have predators like stray dogs, coyotes, raccoons, badgers, big cats, anything like that? Aerial predators like hawks have been known to swoop down and snatch a bird practically from under a guardian's nose, so being out there with them is no guarantee of safety. On the other hand, she may be cultivating a hidden nest somewhere. Good luck finding her!

We don't have a whole lot of predators just your usual nightly visit from maybe a possum and we have a flock of deer that lied to come in that part of the yard at night. But this was during the day still when I noticed she was gone. Show the list of predators is very small basically narrowing it down two birds are hawks which I saw hardly knot on bird all day for the most part. We are more like in a residential area kind of in the country where we have two and a half acres . Everything stays mowed and I have like one tree in our entire yard.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

She might have wandered. We got a chicken once that wandered to our neighbor from a town like an hour away. Turns oht that chicken does it all the time

 

[MrsRichey201126]

She might have wandered. We got a chicken once that wandered to our neighbor from a town like an hour away. Turns oht that chicken does it all the time

Really she would go that far ?? Wow . In such events do they or will they come back?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Really she would go that far ?? Wow . In such events do they or will they come back?

We found the owner and brought him back. I don't think he would have known how to get that far back on his own

 

[hysop]

I just remembered a story. One time, years ago, we counted our chickens and one was missing. I was so scared. The next day we searched for her and didn’t find her. But either the following night from when we noticed she was missing or two nights later she returned. Not sure if she contemplated going broody and gave up by day two. So there’s hope nothing got her and she’s just trying out life a little differently

 

[TheOddOneOut]

In that case I would be soooooo pissed . And i wouldnt put it pass some around here but I also have had them a while so for someone to just take one all the sudden would be really odd but yes it's definitely a possibility your right.
So there hasn't been any evidence , I will say however I have some younger iv raised and released with the rest of the flock .. you would think they would go for them because they are smaller . I dk just what I think .. now it being day light still when I noticed she was gone limits predators of the night . I don't have mountain lions And our lawn isn't surrounded by many trees at all . I have like one tree in my whole yard .
With the hawk idea , what makes that something kinda ruled out is because I have like 13 ish chickens in all and that would be a field day.

Hawk kills are usually only identified by a big splash of feathers where the hawk grabbed their prey. So you are right, that is kinda ruled out if there is zero evidence.

 

[Shezadandy]

She may be broody. It isn't unheard of in Leghorns.
But it is possible that she was killed by a predator. Sometimes there is no evidence.
One (VERY unlikely) thing is, if there is absolutely no evidence, is someone could have taken her. One funny/ weird story I heard from a friend was: One day they went out to lock the coop up and noticed that two of their Partridge Rock hens were missing. They checked their yard cam to see if a predator had gotten them. They saw a car pull up and someone jump out and grab the two hens, and then speed off. Thankfully the cam caught the plate number, and they were able to get their hens back. Again, PROBABLY nothing like that.

Oh boy. I did see a lone chicken outside a planned unit development (postage stamp lots where every house looks the same) out on a 35mph road headed for a plant nursery across the street. I confess I did pause (pulled the car over) and wonder if she needed a home and whether she was safe- but she didn't seem upset and looked more like a daily routine so I did nothing. Point being, perhaps she wandered away, but I wouldn't think on 2 acres that would be probable. A friend had a black hen disappear - finally found her in their cow barn in a dark corner under a set of stairs being broody … on rocks. Yeop. Rocks. We got her some eggs and she hatched them.