I had a hen come up missing tonight. It's the first time it has happened. My wife let them out around 4 this afternoon. Its dark by 5:30 (when I get home from work.) I went out to close up the coop, took a head count and one was missing. I got a flashlight and looked around our property, but didn't see anything. When this has happened to anybody else out there, does she show up tomorrow like nothing ever happened? I never see her again?
I had a bamtam OEG hen that came up missing, She showed up a few days later and went missing again for a few more days. I followed her the next time I saw her and discovered she was hiding with a nest full of eggs. I grabbed her and her eggs and brought them to a safer area in the coop and she hatched them. I really hope that is what your hen is doing and you find her safe.
I wish that were the case, but I doubt it. None of them have shown any signs of being broody. They are only able to go outside when we let them, and they weren't out at all this weekend. Hopefully she shows up today. I'm not counting my chickens until....
One of my silkies disappeared one day. No sign of attack...no feathers anywhere. We have the yard covered with chicken wire to prevent the hawks from flying in and helping themselves. She just disappeard, and we never saw her again.
I haven't seen her since. It is dark when I leave for work and almost dark when I get home, so I haven't had a chance to do a search. I have a feeling she is gone for good. We are getting ready to try and hatch some eggs, so she will be replaced but not forgotten.
That's so sad. I had a chicken disappear, and then two weeks later, I found her in some tall grass, right there, I had been walking past her every day. Next time she disappeared, I found her in the tack room, way back under stuff. This time, I finally figured out, she is hiding under the barn.
I hope you find her or she comes home. I have lost 2 birds, one to a preditor and one to illness. I have RIR's too. Please keep us posted.
Once, our coop door blew shut while we were gone. We got home late and went looking for the 3 hens. I found one in the barn, and one sitting on some rocks behind the coop in the woods. The other was not to be found. I fretted all night. We have many night time preditors. She was pecking around outside the coop in the morning! Another time we got home after dark and ran to close up the chickens before going into the house. OMG - no chickens in the coop. We searched and searched to no avail. We consigned ourselves, sadly, to the fact that something must have gotten them. This was early on in our chicken ownership, and they had never not gone to roost in their coop. Alas, we gave up and opened the garage door to put the car away. Low and behold, there the little scamps were. They had cleaned out the cat food bowl and were roosting happily on the doorway steps. They must have scurried in just as we pulled out, then we hit the garage door remote and they were locked in. It is the first place we look now, if a hen is missing!
Since I am home almost all day I keep a close eye on my girls. They have free range of the yard but get locked up at night after I noticed one missing. No feathers , nothing just poof gone. We have had some issues with a racoon so I am sure that is what happend. I am hoping this racoon gets caught , he is well known by all neighbors as trouble. Glad to know I am not only one who does headcounts everynight