My chicken disappeared

[BlueO]

Lost a hen and she was at the neighbor's house, I would probably go ask them.

I am on the same boat as @Ridgerunner she might have went into a forest or got lost after running from a predator I would say she probably got snatched but there are alot of times where a hen goes missing and returns a day or two later.

I don't believe that she was killed infront of all your chickens.
Chickens usually leave an explosion of feathers and If the predator killed her then all of the other chickens would be in shock or at least one of them.
I would recommend checking in corners, checking dark areas, checking behind big things. I have heard stories where a chicken was killed and hidden somewhere.

If she’s gotten lost, then she’s probably gone now because she was out of the coop for one night. I have lots of predators hawks, foxes, coyotes, raccoons I also have bobcats, mountain lions and bears but I don’t see those very often. I doubt she would’ve joined a neighbors flock because my nearest neighbors that have chickens are a few miles away and they don’t usually leave the property(at least I don’t think so).

 

[BlueO]

Can you lock them in your coop or coop + run for three days or so to see if you get eggs? If they are hiding a nest they will probably pace along the fence trying to get out but should eventually lay an egg.

Their coop is pretty small to keep them in for all day and I don’t have a run set up for them right now but I’ll see what I can do. They’re at about 16-20 weeks of age. Do you think I should be getting eggs soon?

 

[Ridgerunner]

They’re at about 16-20 weeks of age. Do you think I should be getting eggs soon?

Naturally that is a very common question on here. The earliest I've had a pullet start laying was 16 weeks. That's rare but it's happened a few times. The latest was 9 months. Also rare. That was the first part of December, my shortest days of the year. The breeder I got those hatching eggs from said hers always started by 6 months, she could not figure out what happened. The bottom line is that you never know when they will start.

There are some signs that a pullet may be getting ready to lay. Often the comb and wattles will turn dark red. Not all of them have red combs and wattles when they start laying and some can have red combs and wattles for other reasons. But in general, it is a pretty good sign they are getting close.

Some pullets seem to know they are getting ready to lay and will start looking for a safe place to lay as much as a week before they start. That's why you want your nests open and ready when they might start, so they will at least look at your nests as a place to lay. So if you see a pullet in your nests scratching around it is a fairly good sign you are getting close.

Basically they will start when they start. Nothing you can really do to speed that up. I tried showing them a Kentucky Fried Chicken poster once and explained it to them but that had no effect. Good luck!

 

[McChooky]

If she’s gotten lost, then she’s probably gone now because she was out of the coop for one night. I have lots of predators hawks, foxes, coyotes, raccoons I also have bobcats, mountain lions and bears but I don’t see those very often. I doubt she would’ve joined a neighbors flock because my nearest neighbors that have chickens are a few miles away and they don’t usually leave the property(at least I don’t think so).

I rely on a secure run to keep my chickens safe and have many of the same predators as you.If any of my chickens was lost and stayed out all night she wouldn't make it home

 

[BlueO]

Naturally that is a very common question on here. The earliest I've had a pullet start laying was 16 weeks. That's rare but it's happened a few times. The latest was 9 months. Also rare. That was the first part of December, my shortest days of the year. The breeder I got those hatching eggs from said hers always started by 6 months, she could not figure out what happened. The bottom line is that you never know when they will start.

There are some signs that a pullet may be getting ready to lay. Often the comb and wattles will turn dark red. Not all of them have red combs and wattles when they start laying and some can have red combs and wattles for other reasons. But in general, it is a pretty good sign they are getting close.

Some pullets seem to know they are getting ready to lay and will start looking for a safe place to lay as much as a week before they start. That's why you want your nests open and ready when they might start, so they will at least look at your nests as a place to lay. So if you see a pullet in your nests scratching around it is a fairly good sign you are getting close.

Basically they will start when they start. Nothing you can really do to speed that up. I tried showing them a Kentucky Fried Chicken poster once and explained it to them but that had no effect. Good luck!

Ok thank you! Two of my chickens, combs and waddles just turned bright red! there’s one nesting box that they seem to particularly like. When they were babies, they all squeezed into that one box and now that’s the only one I find poop in.

 

[BlueO]

So today I thought another one got taken, but then she came back an hour later! I’m beginning to think that they actually might be laying eggs in the woods! I’ve seen people that put fake eggs in the nesting boxes. Does this help chickens lay in the coop?

 

[aart]

I’ve seen people that put fake eggs in the nesting boxes. Does this help chickens lay in the coop?

It might...but......
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.
....another good reason to have a run.

 

[CaretakerCarol]

OK, good to know. If they are laying eggs elsewhere, do you have any ideas how to find them? I have a pretty large property that they roam freely and it’s filled with scrub oak that they love playing in.

It can be a challenge finding hidden roosting spots, but your best bet is to hang out mid morning and watch where your girls hangout and make a lot of noise. It is usually the line to the new favorite spot.

I had a rough year of moving hidden nests this Summer. My hens have always used the next boxes - for the most part. However, this Summer, half the flock decided they didn't like that anymore and I was searching for a moving favorite spot all Summer. Usually, one of the loudest would reveal the spot. Due to time constraints, the blackberry plants were out of control and provided perfect cover for the eggs.

 

[Happy-go-lucky]

Naturally that is a very common question on here. The earliest I've had a pullet start laying was 16 weeks. That's rare but it's happened a few times. The latest was 9 months. Also rare. That was the first part of December, my shortest days of the year. The breeder I got those hatching eggs from said hers always started by 6 months, she could not figure out what happened. The bottom line is that you never know when they will start.

There are some signs that a pullet may be getting ready to lay. Often the comb and wattles will turn dark red. Not all of them have red combs and wattles when they start laying and some can have red combs and wattles for other reasons. But in general, it is a pretty good sign they are getting close.

Some pullets seem to know they are getting ready to lay and will start looking for a safe place to lay as much as a week before they start. That's why you want your nests open and ready when they might start, so they will at least look at your nests as a place to lay. So if you see a pullet in your nests scratching around it is a fairly good sign you are getting close.

Basically they will start when they start. Nothing you can really do to speed that up. I tried showing them a Kentucky Fried Chicken poster once and explained it to them but that had no effect. Good luck!

I really love your answering- specifically the last sentence- maybe the one chicken who is missing has heard about the KFC story?

 

[BlueO]

It can be a challenge finding hidden roosting spots, but your best bet is to hang out mid morning and watch where your girls hangout and make a lot of noise. It is usually the line to the new favorite spot.

I had a rough year of moving hidden nests this Summer. My hens have always used the next boxes - for the most part. However, this Summer, half the flock decided they didn't like that anymore and I was searching for a moving favorite spot all Summer. Usually, one of the loudest would reveal the spot. Due to time constraints, the blackberry plants were out of control and provided perfect cover for the eggs.

How do you move hidden nests? And if they are hiding the eggs does this mean they want to go broody? I’m not sure how I’d find the nest, but I’ll try and look for some of the spots that they hang out at most.