I rescued two roosters, and, um, one disappeared.

[fat brown hen]

Against my better judgement, I agreed to take in two bantam roosters whose owner couldn't keep them. They had previously lived together in a bird cage for 5 years and were best of friends.

My plan was to quarantine them in a rabbit hutch for 30 days, but as soon as I set them down, they started fighting. Slamming against the walls and stuff. I hastily set a fence around the hutch using step-in posts, and they seemed distracted enough by the extra space to stop fighting. So I went inside for an hour.

When I came back out, there was only one rooster left. No sign of feathers anywhere. I have 30 other hens + turkeys, and they were calmly milling about the yard.

Normally I wouldn't care, but these roosters were someone's beloved pets, and I feel terribly guilty.

• Is it possible that one rooster freaked out and ran into the woods and got lost? My daughter searched all afternoon, but wants me to go out at night to look some more.
• Do people actually expect updates after rehoming an animal? Do they really want to know?

Man, this is why I cull all my roosters at home.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Yikes, that is a situation. It is possible. They are in a new environment and so they will stray further from home since home is no longer established to them. It is a freak accident for sure. He might show up again but who knows. You can always try leaving out some food and water during the day to see if he comes back around. Unless they ask, I would likely not provide an update given they were cherished pets and I would feel very guilty personally (even though there was nothing else you could do).