New Chicken Roosting in Oak Tree....

[Kellita]

I brought home a new chicken Saturday to replace my rooster...another saga....and I was rushing to t-ball practice and just let her loose in the backyard with my two other chickens. When I got back an hour later, she'd flown the coop. We looked and looked to no avail. This morning a neighbor called about a chicken she saw in the church yard...across the street...Was it mine?....so my five-year-old and I ran over, and yes...indeedy...it was the missing chicken. So...we gave chase. No avail. Then we ran home and got the net...she flew up in the oak tree...school bells ringing...dropped him off at school...went to my school...and came home with net and gave chase again...much to the amusement of the local AA chapter. Seems like that should be one of the 10 steps...help your neighbor catch a chicken...anyway....she then flew to the tippy top of the tree....we retreated ....in defeat....came back and threw some bread down...So...question is this...do I bribe the local fire department to raise their ladders with fresh eggs? Do I put on cammo gear and get a stun gun? Do I buy a rooster calling whistle? Do I tithe the chicken to the church? I have learned from this...A. cut flight feathers B. leave new chicken in pen until she's acclimated C. don't buy a chicken unless I'm sure it's a hen and not a rooster (ALL this would have been avoided if I'd purchased correctly to begin with) D. chalk it up to experience and start raising ducks and rabbits? Any advice or non-advice would be appreciated.

 

[sourland]

Stop chasing her. Chasing a prey animal only makes them more fearful. You could always try a box trap baited with scratch feed. If she has not been chased out of the county, she may return to your hens. Good luck.