Lost one of my ten week olds in the woods :(

[ScotianChick]

My husband and I built a temporary pen for my 10 week old sex links to eat in and today was my day to try it out. I was pleased with the results but near supper time it started to really rain plus I was going to leave the house for a bit and was concerned with animals because I wasn't sure how stable the pen was. So I went outside and tried to get the pullets/chicks and bring them inside to their brooder... They wouldn't come to me and when I got in the pen they started to panic and smash against the chicken wire walls as hard as they could. Then they found a hole and they all escaped. I could have cried. I live next to the woods, it was absolutely pouring and I had no idea where they'd go in their panic. I ran inside, grabbed a butterfly catching net of all things and chased! I caught one of the girls, then my little boy then another girl.

Then I saw one by the fence separating my yard and the graveyard. I chased her and chased her and couldn't catch her. She ran into the woods. Then I went to my year old hen's favourite hiding spot and found two of the babies and caught them. I pulled feathers out of one by accident :'( I decided to leave the one I had lost be and hope she came back when the scary creature in the pink rain coat left. I left the woodhouse door open where their brooder was, I left the pen door open, I left the coop door open... When it got to be nearly dark and my chickens had gone in the coop I checked all of those places... no baby.

What are the chances she'll survive the night? And even if she does... I might not be able to catch her... And the others... they must hate me. God this sucks

I wish my husband was home!!

 

[TeamChaos]

Oh, I hope she survives! I know it's probably too late for you to go out and check now, but any time one of my girls has failed to coop up, I've found them on or under something nearby. She may have returned but didn't put herself up, so she's camping out on a fence or roofline of the buildings you mentioned. In my experience, chickens don't move after dark. Once the sun goes down, they find a place to hunker down and stay there 'til morning... if she got up in a tree or another out of the way place and went to sleep, she's got a chance of making it. It's not like the predators know she fled the coop today and it doesn't sound like they're in the habit of checking your house for chicken dinners.
Try to forgive yourself. I've had these things happen. They will forgive you. You'll all get a routine down sooner or later. I don't think you'll have to worry about catching her, chickens want to be with their buddies so she'll want to fall in line with whatever the flock is doing tomorrow.

 

[CMV]

I hope you find her and she is well.

 

[ScotianChick]

Checked this morning and still no sign of her. I went out with a flash light several times last night which was quite the feat for me considering how scared I Get in the woods at night..

Guess I'm down one girl.

 

[flowergirl60]

I'm so sorry.