Due to a tragic accident this fall, we sadly lost one of our flock. While trying to isolate an injured Rhode Island Red, the hen flew over my husbands head and got out of the run. We chased the chicken through our woods trying to catch her for 2 days. No luck. Arriving home from dinner one evening, we saw that our Siberan Husky Daisy had better luck. She caught herself a chicken dinner. Our other 2 Reds are doing well and the 2 Ameraucanas are good also. All four of the remaining chickens are laying. We average about 20 eggs a week. Friends and family are enjoying all the free eggs.
My Red Star escaped the run the other day. She does have a wing clipped but I don't believe that would slow her down one bit if she decided to go over the 6' privacy fence. Fortunately she preferred to play keep-away on the ground, waiting j-u-s-t til I got right behind her then scurrying away. I got the catch pole and caught her right away, thank goodness. I have MANY predators around here so she wouldn't last long if she really got away. I was surprised, though, because my dog was also in the backyard at the time and he paid her no mind whatsoever. Sorry to hear about your girl
If such a thing should ever happen again, where you have a recalcitrant hen in the woods, try an Ozark turkey trap. Get a trash barrel (preferably metal) with a lid and fasten the base so it can't be knocked over. Throw corn or other favorite food on the ground around the outside of the barrel, and also on top of the lid. When the target bird(s) feel comfortable jumping on top of the barrel, take away the lid. Bird will fall into barrel, and will not be able to stretch wings enough to fly out, or jump high enough to get out.
I remember we had a neighbor, when I was growing up, that had RIR's that rousted in a pear tree, up on a ridge in a pasture field, over looking the barn and house, that was in a creek bottom. When ever they would call the chickens in the morning to feed them, the chickens would fly out of that 20 foot tall pear tree and sail glide like wild turkeys, 200 feet to the barn to get fed. They always made two point landings like pros.
