new girls ran off

[Taeday]

i just got three new hens (1 australorp and 2 buff orpingtons) and when I got home they were free ranging and having a great time while I got their coop ready.i went to lure them in with some corn and the australorp and one of the buffs were gone.they have to have jumped the fence.the other buff was in the garage perching on top of a tote and I was able to get her in the coop for the night. I went out every hour looking for them.its sunrise now and I went out again and called for them and looked again and I cannot find them.i know they usually come back but they were o lay here two hours before they were gone so i do t know if they will know how to get back and I also find it odd that the third didn’t go with them since they stayed together when they were free ranging. I left all my lights on outside all night and laid out food and water for them and made several trails of corn for them to find and lure them in.i also left the gates open so they could get in and I left the garage open so they could be safe in there if they came back and I also have a small dog house I have set up with shavings and straw just for them as an extra hiding spot and I left their transport box out as well. Any other suggestions? I feel terrible and want to find them so bad.

 

[DobieLover]

i just got three new hens (1 australorp and 2 buff orpingtons) and when I got home they were free ranging and having a great time while I got their coop ready.i went to lure them in with some corn and the australorp and one of the buffs were gone.they have to have jumped the fence.the other buff was in the garage perching on top of a tote and I was able to get her in the coop for the night. I went out every hour looking for them.its sunrise now and I went out again and called for them and looked again and I cannot find them.i know they usually come back but they were o lay here two hours before they were gone so i do t know if they will know how to get back and I also find it odd that the third didn’t go with them since they stayed together when they were free ranging. I left all my lights on outside all night and laid out food and water for them and made several trails of corn for them to find and lure them in.i also left the gates open so they could get in and I left the garage open so they could be safe in there if they came back and I also have a small dog house I have set up with shavings and straw just for them as an extra hiding spot and I left their transport box out as well. Any other suggestions? I feel terrible and want to find them so bad.

Check nearby farms to see if they went there.
This is why you have to lock them in their quarantine coop/run as soon as you get them home. They have no idea where they are and the likelihood of them returning on their own is rather low.

 

[BDutch]

Hard to say what has happened. What crosses my mind.:
Did you read or confine people about having new chickens? As Dobielover says: you have to learn them what home is.
Is it possible a predator came by?

Put some food near the coop and look if they are returning during the day.
Keep them locked up in the coop with a solid covered run for a few days.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Unfortunately, loose chickens at night rarely survive even one night. I hope thars not the case, but its a reality that I would expect.
Definitely call neighbors and ask if they've seen them. Maybe you will get lucky.

Did you "coop them up" for at least 3 days prior to release? My birds free range too and any new bird is cooped for at least 1 day when joining the existing flock (they will follow the others in at night).

When I butcher the whole flock to nake room for a new hatch, the new birds raised by me are cooped for 3 days.

When I first started and brought adult birds from a different flock raised elsewhere, I cooped them for 5 days to reestablish their homing instinct to my coop.

They roam within about 100 yrd radius from their coop with no fencing

 

[Taeday]

Check nearby farms to see if they went there.
This is why you have to lock them in their quarantine coop/run as soon as you get them home. They have no idea where they are and the likelihood of them returning on their own is rather low.

I forgot to update! they both came back unharmed and were waiting by their coop at sunrise when I went to look for them again.soooo happy

 

[DobieLover]

I forgot to update! they both came back unharmed and were waiting by their coop at sunrise when I went to look for them again.soooo happy

That is great news!! So today they get locked in so they can graft to the new coop??

 

[aart]

I forgot to update! they both came back unharmed and were waiting by their coop at sunrise when I went to look for them again.soooo happy

Luuuucky!!