Last night, my three hens did not come home.... :( :( :( UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chic-a-deee]

Nawww that's so lovely!!! Yay Turkey!!

You're fortunate to be able to introduce her so easily. Ive had a single hen that Im TRYING to introduce & the other 4 wont have a bar of the new one...& she/he's been in a separate part of the coop for about 4 weeks now. When I let her into the pen with the others, they chase & peck her. She/he is only about 14 weeks old & smaller than them.....I assumed that a younger one would pose no pecking order problems??? Who knows with these chooks!!!

But all the advice thus far has been good.....preditors will come back to a good snack. I would enclose all of them & make sure the fencing goes about 1 or 2 feet under ground cos foxes LOVE to dig!!!

Good luck ^^

 

[rikithemonk]

I'm kind of surprised that in all these responses, so few people have warned you that the predator now knows your home is an easy meal and it will return. You will most likely loose many more birds unless you make changes.

Riki

 

[Nathan Sampson]

This is the first time for me to see this thread. first off I am so happy that you have had turkey return to you. I had a scare similar to it yesterday I had to go out of town and when i got home my 3 yr old little girl was like Daddy I can not find Henri. Henri being Hernietta but all was well she just found a little place to hang out over night and was out back this morning. It was a big relief. I am really glad that your hen is bonding with your younger pullets also.

 

[LawChick]

I've had quite a time integrating three hens into my little flock of nine hens and one rooster. I added the three new ones at night, and although two of the new hens are keeping pretty much to themselves, the third one ("Clara") was pecked mercilessly by the rooster and his a few of his gangsta hens. I eventually took her back to the person I bought her from and traded her for a different hen because I knew my cruel birds were just going to kill her. I brought her replacement (a beautiful Ameraucana) hen home Friday night, and kept all the birds in the coop until yesterday, when I let them out to free range kind of late in the morning. The birds were okay in the coop, and I kept watching them during the day to see how things were going. The first two of the original three that I still have seem fine. They are submissive to the other hens and kind of stay out of their way. They've learned their place, I think. The latest addition ("Clara II") was getting into spats with a couple of my other hens, but nothing that looked dangerous or like anything other than all of them working to establish the pecking order. I was kind of (naively) proud of her for standing her ground now and then. I thought it indicated that she wasn't going to put up with their crap. My other hens were not ganging up on her like they did the first Clara. Anyway, it all looked pretty good until I went out to lock up the coop for the night and . . . CLARA II WAS NOT THERE! I looked high and low for her without luck. I hatehatehated locking up the coop with her not in it, but I really didn't have a choice. I'm hoping like heck that she comes back, but just last week we had a coyote attack (no birds lost, but lotsa screaming and chasing of the evil beast away!) so I'm afraid she might be dinner for some animal or other. It breaks my heart to think of her out there all by herself. I know how you feel about being sad about the hens that just disappear, and I'm so happy at least one of yours found her way back home! I hope my little Clara II comes home, too!

 

[LawChick]

Well, the good news is that Clara II turned back up in my backyard today. I am at work and cannot WAIT to get home to try to catch her and put her back in the coop. Oddly, the older birds and the new additions seems to get along better in the coop than they do when they are free ranging.

 

[laturcotte1]

The fox picks off our hens like popcorn at the movies. Turned our rooster into a raving maniac extremely aggressive now. We bought him a few more hens and he loves them but free ranging was absolutely out of the question. Then I'm reading this magazine and on the back was electric fencing. I purchased 164 feet with poles and they are back to roaming. It is portable as long as you can keep one end hooked to electricity, 4 feet high. I was worried the roo would jump it because he was used to jumping and sitting on top of a 5' gate but he touched that fence once and now stays away from it. It is opened into their run so if the hawks are out he gets them into the run which has a wired roof. It gives a good jolt but doesn't injury the chickens. At least the chickens are no longer held prisioner and I keep my fingers crossed the fox isn't fond of electric shocks. My husband touched it one day and made him jump back.

 

[LawChick]

Well, Clara II is still living in the rough in the little bit of woods around our pond. Two nights after she failed to return to the coop, I saw her out in the woods, and lay in wait for her with a big net. When she found a roost, I gave her some time to fall asleep, then crept up on her as quietly as I could, given that there are dry leaves all over, twigs, and rosebushes around. I got to probably within four or five feet of her and couldn't get any closer because of the roses and grapevines I was tangled up in. I thwacked the net down on her, but because it was pretty close quarters in the bushes, I couldn't get any closer to grab her or scoop the net up with her in it. So. She dropped out of the net and ran.

Yesterday, I saw her when I was walking my dog, so after I finished that, I put a bowl of scratch grains in a cat/chicken carrier with open wire mesh sides and top, took it out to where she frequents, and waited in the bushes in 56 degree drizzly weather for about an hour and a half ON MY KNEES because of the trees, etc., and she got to about five feet from the carrier and never wandered into it. DANG!! I want to put her back in the coop so she will be safe at night!!

Any suggestions? If it were just a matter of chasing her, I'm sure I could nab her with the fam's help, but she just darts into the rosebushes and grapevines and poison ivy and honeysuckle where I don't have a prayer of catching her!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

GUYS.... I went to a baby shower today. Stephen stayed home at the farm. My phone died on my way back from the shower. As I pulled into the driveway, Stephen was standing in the driveway with bread in his hands. When I pulled up, I rolled down my window. "DIDN'T YOU GET MY TEXT?!?!?!" he said. "No, my phone died... Are you OK?" I replied with. "One of them came back...." I jumped out of my car and started running barefoot toward the back. There she was. Missing feathers. Skinnier. TURKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Turkey is back.... 5 nights, 6 days away from home. She is back... Of course Steve took a pic. I was crying.

I am using you for a bit of hope. I am currently missing a pullet and hoping she shows up for bed tonight.

 

[jennyworley35]

I had a pullet that when we got a knew hen Lucy decided she did not want to be their bed mate. The first night I went out to close the coop and she was gone nowhere to be found I freaked out. The next day I went out that morning to nlet them out and still no sign of Lucy. When I went to work she was back. Next night she was gone again. I was so upset but could not find her anywhere. Next day she came back that night me and my husband whatched her until dark and we saw her fly up in a big oak in the back so my husband got out there and shook her out of the tree she hasn't gone back up there since. I hope your Pullet comes back it is scary not knowing if they are ok.

 

[LawChick]

Good news! I finally caught Clara II last night as she was roosting. Had to crawl through some honeysuckle, grapevines, and unfortunately, probably some poison ivy to nab her, but she is safely inside the coop with her roosties now, and just in time, too, because we're finally getting some RAIN her in Ohio!! So relieved that she's safe after a week in "the wild."