The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lazy gardener]

A net of some sort? Put out some scratch to get her used to coming into an area where you can more easily catch her. Wow, this is a new one. Will be watching for outcome.

 

[Lacy Blues]

If she sees you at all does she run away? I'm thinking that if you can take some scratch out there and maybe a pan of water (there's probably other water everywhere else though right?) Only go as far as til she sees you. If she turns tail and runs, she probably won't go far before looking back. It may take a while to catch her this way but the other way seems impossible. As she gets used to seeing you out there, start tossing the scratch a little closer to the coop each day. As she gets used to being around the other chickens, maybe one day (or several) you can let your girls outside their run and feed them out there in full sight of your little feral girl. Hopefully it won't be terribly long before she rejoins the flock for dinner and then into the coop too.

 

[Shan30]

Yes she runs instantly when she sees us. I might try putting some feed out tonight. It will have to be in the bush a bit so I won't know if she's the one eating it. Maybe if hubby will let me use the game cam. Kind of unlikely that he will sacrifice it during hunting season.

Maybe get her hooked on some yummy treat or just feed and then trail it into the live trap.

Water might be an ok idea too. There really isn't any up there unless she is living at the neighbours. We have had such a dry year everything is totally crunchy.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Would you be able to "stake out" ... find her just before sundown, then just lay low and observe until dark to find out where she's roosting? It would be much easier to pluck her from her roost in the dark I'm thinking.

 

[Shan30]

Would you be able to "stake out" ...  find her just before sundown, then just lay low and observe until dark to find out where she's roosting?  It would be much easier to pluck her from her roost in the dark I'm thinking.

I might give something like this a go. Unfortunately the island is basically a rainforest and the forest is so thick in the area she is in that you can only see about 5 feet in each direction and your legs disappear below the knees. I guess it will probably be a listening rather than looking kind of stakeout. Wonder if cigarettes and wine will frighten her off haha!

Without a doubt I will be canvassing the area just after dark each night.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

So if you remember last week I was trying to figure out which of my birds had been attacked due to clumps of barred feathers all over the place. When I checked all the barred birds no one was so much as rumpled up...all very strange.

Well on Saturday two of my juvenile silkies disappeared. No feathers, fences look fine, not a trace just gone. Then yesterday I was working on a rabbit hutch in the yard and heard that very ****** off hen noise but on the other side of my house up near the woods far from where our birds ever venture. So I jogged up there (wow clearly need to work on cardio) to see a clearly rumpled barred bird run into the woods. I went after it but it was terrified and disappeared into the thick area near the property line.

Went back at dusk, spotted it but it took off again. Went back to coop and counted, all my birds are there. This was definitely an Ameraucana x Chantecler and I did have one of mine go missing at the beginning of August.

Now I'm wondering if its been out there the whole time or is it possible that my neighbour (who is definitely a bit different) could have had her this whole time and she escaped....and why were her feather all over by the run but she didn't go home? She's not even laying yet so I doubt she's broody.

So I want to catch her before something else does. Live trap? Tried after dark last night but couldn't find her. Also to check the area properly I need to trespass and am a bit scared of the neighbour.

Any ideas on how to catch a hen gone feral?

Try a redneck turkey trap. Get a 55 gallon barrel with removable lid. Place it, with lid on and a rock inside for weight so it can't tip over, in area where you've seen your target. Scatter grain on ground around the barrel and on top of lid. Do this for a few days (assuming that grain is being consumed), then put grain only on lid of barrel. Do that for a couple more days. Then take the lid away. You should return to find the bird in the bottom of the barrel, unable to fly straight up.

 

[lazy gardener]

Have you actually had the barrel trap work??????

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: With my guys when its dark out and I shine a light on them they coo but dont move so I am sure you could use a good strong light to help you in locating the hen. Good luck !!

 

[lalaland]

i like the luring her back to your run with grains, closer every day . and water......how far do you think it is from where you saw her to where the run is? You could try live trap too but not sure what you would catch!

 

[Shan30]

Well I found out what doesn't work...running around the forest with a salmon net.

I chased her around for quite a while last night and came really close a few times but no such luck.
Left some grain at the edge of her woods on and around a live trap so even if she doesn't go in maybe it will get her used to eating it. I would guess its about 300' to the run from there.

At least she was still there and alive!

I am also very curious about this turkey trap. Has anyone tried it? And what is the purpose in catching a wild turkey? We use bird shot haha!