My newbies escaped and I need help!

[baldmtnman]

I have 4 Road Island Red adult layers and 12 Canadian Chantecler/Swedish Flower Hen crosses that are 2 months old. I was given 9 Austalorp laying hens. I free range my chickens but since I got the new ones I wanted to acclimate them by closing up the run and keeping them (and my old flock) in the run and coop for several days. Unfortunately, my jerry-rigged gate fell open and they all escaped on only their second day. They spent 1 night in the coop and then escaped. So, they roosted in a tree near the coop.

Now I don't know what to do. Should I leave them alone and hope they fall in line with my old flock or should I try to catch them and close them back in? Will they just get used to being outside if I don't catch them?

btw, the old owner never tamed them at all and they are very wild.

Ideas? Advice?

Thanks a bunch!!

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!

Well, of course, first fix the gate to be secure and operable.
Is it just the 9 new ones that are roosting in the tree?
How tall is the tree? Might you be able to get them down after dark and put them back in the coop/run?
Maybe leave the 16 locked in the coop for a day and night.....and bribe the escapees into the run with food/water?
Maybe put a roost up in the run and the newbies will roost there instead of trees?

Just some ideas, tough situation.

They are leery and hard to trap, took me a week of machinations just to catch one stray bird that wandered into my yard.

 

[baldmtnman]

I was at work when all this went down so I didn't know that they were within reach in the tree. When I got home at 2am I was able to catch 7 and put them in the coop. 1 freaked out and ran away and I couldn't find it. And 1 was still at the previous owner's house cause we couldn't find her. So last night the lady was able to catch her and bring her over but when she saw the other birds in the tree she just tossed the one she had out!!! WHAT!!! Why she didn't put it in the coop still blows my mind. Anyway, that one ran off into the darkness and hasn't been seen since.

Thanks for the help!! Hopefully I can find the other 2.

 

[aart]

I was at work when all this went down so I didn't know that they were within reach in the tree. When I got home at 2am I was able to catch 7 and put them in the coop. 1 freaked out and ran away and I couldn't find it. And 1 was still at the previous owner's house cause we couldn't find her. So last night the lady was able to catch her and bring her over but when she saw the other birds in the tree she just tossed the one she had out!!! WHAT!!! Why she didn't put it in the coop still blows my mind. Anyway, that one ran off into the darkness and hasn't been seen since.

Thanks for the help!! Hopefully I can find the other 2.

Oh, geez...SHM.....what a bird brain!! haha!

Put a feeder and waterer out near the run.....they should be attracted by that and the other birds....hopefully you can grab the other 2 tonite.