Missing chicken

[elmtree]

My poor Butter is missing! Just went out to clip wings of all things and she was gone. Kids are out looking now. What can take a chicken without a trace?? She is full size.

 

[jesirose]

Well if her wings weren't clipped yet maybe she flew off. Our hens used to fly over our 6.5 foot fence before we clipped theirs. They always came home.

 

[jdywntr]

A dog or coyote (or any similar sized pred) can take an adult without a trace. Depending on where she was, the protection (fencing etc) that you have, she could have wandered off, gotten spooked or taken by a pred.

I have always found evidence of a kill. Once, all I found were 4 feathers, spread over about 200 yards along the pred's exit line, that was a coyote that took a young splash roo.

I hope you end up finding her, if not sorry for the loss. Do go out and shake your feed bucket or call them (I think everyone should aclimate their birds to a call).

 

[elmtree]

OMG!! I found her way up high in the trees. I wouldn't have thought to check if I hadn't read someone else's post about finding her chicken in a tree. She was up there! My son is an expert tree climber so it only took him a few minutes to shimmy up there. We all worked together and slowly got her to come down. Then I clipped her wings! My husband would have been soooo sad cause she loves him and he loves her. He can't even walk in the run without her nipping at his pants to pick her up lol yay!!!! Thanks for the advice on the feed bucket call. I really should do that.

 

[redsoxs]

Glad you found her!!! The wing clipping should help!!