only chicken left, and refuses to go into coop

[leahp5]

sadly i'm down to one hen, and this one (edna) sleeps in a tree about 20' up.
its getting very cold at night her in northern ontario and im worries she'll end up freezing to death.
i cannot seem to convince her to go into the coop, and since the last chicken died (fischer) she stopped laying also.
this chicken i have never touched, or let alone caught. shes a complete free ranger. she was sadly abandoned one day.. at my house! a man pulled in my driveway and while i was looking out the window he opened a box and she jumped out.. never to see the man again.
im happy to be her new mother, but now that im down to the one and winter is coming im wondering if i should let her 'be' and see what happens, or force her into the coop.. how?

should i buy more chickens this fall? or wait till spring? and just let dear edna survive on her own?

im at a loss of what to do with edna. i dont really want to heat a coop for the winter for one girl either.

 

[fasbendera]

I am thinking the score is going to be: Northern Ontario Winter-1, Chicken-0. At least try different ways to catch her and if she doesn't cooperate you will be able to sleep at night if she doesn't make it. Did she go in the coop when there were other chickens there? If so then I think you answered your own question. You can either borrow some to lure her in or start a new flock. Maybe someone on BYC will come to your rescue and build your flock up or maybe offer a new home.

 

[fldiver97]

Is she near the cop at any time??? Can you lure her into a run or the coop with treats?? If you can catch or 'trap' her, confine her in the coop for a few days (or a coop/run setup so she can be outside for a bit) until she accepts the coop as her home/roosting place for the night. That way you can keep her safe at night and from freezing in the winter. I would also try to get another chicken or 2 ( or 3) so she is not lonely. Maybe you an post or check for folks from your area that have chickens. You will still have to quarantine/introduce carefully but a single chicken is probably not happy....They are social and usually run around with others

 

[jbowyer01]

Oh please try to catch her! I dont have any extra chickens to give to you and I am too far away even if I did but I'm sure someone here on BYC can come to the rescue.