Renegade hen

[Chicken71137]

I have one hen who will not come back in the yard or go in her coop. She seems healthy do I just leave her b or try and catch her and make her go in the coop. Help please

 

[The Coop Crew]

In order to keep her safe from predators you may want to make her go to the coop..at least at night.

 

[Chicken71137]

Thank u!

 

[The Coop Crew]

I have one hen who will not come back in the yard or go in her coop. She seems healthy do I just leave her b or try and catch her and make her go in the coop. Help please

Also welcome to BYC! It’s such a great community full of friends and information!

 

[The Coop Crew]

Thank u!

I have one stubborn little girl who will only come into the coop on her terms but I just wait and she eventually comes in…sometimes I try to chase her and she just runs right past the coop

 

[Chicken71137]

I’ve been chasing this girl for a week now

 

[The Coop Crew]

I’ve been chasing this girl for a week now

I mean if she’s survived a week outside the coop maybe she will be okay

 

[Chicken71137]

She has places she goes where I think she’s pretty safe. She’s a smart cookie

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined.

I have one hen who will not come back in the yard or go in her coop. She seems healthy do I just leave her b or try and catch her and make her go in the coop. Help please

Why do you have chickens? How is this hen contributing toward your goals with chickens? You may be happy with her as she is or you may want her eggs or something else.

Some feral chickens can go years without a predator attack. Before they were domesticated they had no human protection and did not go extinct. My parents and many of their siblings and parents kept flocks that were essentially feral and mostly slept in trees or on barn rafters. They would usually go years between predator attacks. Many of the chickens in those flocks were games they also had some heritage breeds in them. Dad's flock included Dominique and New Hampshire along with games.

It is also possible that hen could be killed by a predator this afternoon, let alone tonight. That is the thing with predators, they can attack at any time.

She is probably sleeping in a tree. She is hiding from predators so can be really hard to find after dark. You can try watching her as it gets dark and try to figure out where she is sleeping and take her off of the roost. Be careful climbing a tree or a ladder after dark. Don't hurt yourself.

You can try catching her with a live trap. Bait the trap where she hangs out during the day. You might catch a squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, possum, dove, or something else instead of her but you might get her.

If she joins your chickens during the day she may go into the run to eat with them. You may be able to shut the gate on her and trap her that way.

Once you get her, house her in the coop where you want her to sleep in a small cage for at least a week, maybe longer. You want to break her from the habit of sleeping outside in a tree. Some are easier to break than others.

 

[Chicken71137]

Thank u!