I thought she would come back with chicks!?

[emilysteng]

My wild hen Casino ( I have gathered she is a game hen) "disappeared" 3 weeks ago. She used to always come out at least once a day from the bushes to eat and catch geckos and hang out. But anyways, 3 fridays ago was the last time I saw her. I figured/hoped she was laying on a nest somewhere hidden in the bushes and would appear one day about 3 weeks later with chicks. Well, this afternoon she appeared, but no chicks! I helped her catch like a dozen geckos, she ate some feed and cracked corn, and drank a bunch of water. I thought maybe she just got up and would go back but she hung out for a few hours and when she went back into the bushes she just went up on her favorite tree branch and took a nap.

Anyways, I was curious what people thought. What do you think she has been doing for the last three weeks? If they sit on eggs for 21 days and nothing happens, do they immediately give up? If she was sitting on eggs, I'm pretty sure they were fertile. Before she disappeared she had been hanging around with her boyfriend Zack almost constantly. He disappeared when she did too. No sign of him today though. Or I thought maybe something happened to her eggs - mongoose, rats, or whatever. I wish I could understand chicken talk so I could ask her!

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
I dunno? That is kinda weird?!

Are you sure she doesn't have a nest hidden somewhere in the woods?

 

[Mahonri]

I would bet that a predator got her eggs.... skunk, rats... something like that.

 

[whillo]

I sure don't have any answers for you Emily, but I just wanted to say that sounds pretty cool...having a chicken that just comes and goes and hangs out in the trees! My Hubby wants to let our girls free range but I'm too scared for them. Maybe here while we live in town, but when we move to the country I think there's going to be way too many predators to feel safe. (I think my Kitty is afraid of them just a lil' bit, but not enough for me to trust her with them if I turn my back.)

 

[sourland]

I'm betting a mongoose found the nest.

 

[emilysteng]

I guess a predator seems like the most reasonable explanation. That would be sad though, after all that work sitting on them.

Poor Casino.

Well, I'm just glad she is ok. I was worried about her. I just hope she is back when I go to work on Monday. She did seem a little tired.

Chickens are so interesting!! I'm so glad Casino became our friend or I would never know how much fun chickens are!

 

[emilysteng]

I forgot to mention how when I took Casino home with me, my cat did seem a little scared of her too. But I wouldn't trust her alone with the chicken either.

Both Casino and my new chicken friend are scared of cats, though they don't run. When cats are around they let out their warning/"I'm scared" bok bok sound but don't really do anything else. There used to be a stray cat we fed who hung around when Casino was around. The cat sort of ignored Casino. They have walked within a foot or two of each other without incident. Quite amusing to see the interaction between the different animals.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

can your wild chicken and rooster actually belong to 1 of your neighbours? if you have predators I don't really see a chicken lasting long in the wild. they are too easy prey at night.

 

[beachchickie]

I have nothing to offer. But boy is she a beauty!

 

[emilysteng]

Thanks beachchickie! I think she is so cute.

tuesdays chicks: Here is hawaii there is a huge population of feral chickens - they roam around everywhere. The predators are mainly mongoose, rats, feral cats, and neighborhood dogs and cats. But I think only the dogs really go after the adult chickens. Mostly the baby chicks are the victims of the mongoose and rats. At night I assume the chickens go up into the tree branches to sleep. (They can all fly quite high distances. They easily fly up onto the roof of the house for example) I guess it is more dangerous for the hens who are sitting on nests on the ground, though they are quite well hidden. But I guess the hens can get away if the predator comes, it's the eggs that fall victim.
Anyways, that is my take on the situation. I am by no means an expert. Just my observations from the past year that Casino has been my friend.