THEY'RE MISSING!

[Hailey313]

My two newest girls are MISSING!
My husband told me he hasn't seen them since yesterday
All our chickens are free range, but Du''a and A'yah seemed to have really settled in with the other girls and boys and seemed happy.
Since they traveled here togther vis USPS and always hung out together, we think they walked off together and can't find their way home (we hope!).
It's cold and raining today making it difficult for us to search, but we did go out in different directions. We found nothing. Not even muddy white feathers.
We live to far off the beaten path for someone to have been driving by, seen the girls from the road, stopped, walked past our trailer without the dogs going beserk, picking them up and carrying them back past our trailer to their vehichle.
With the rain, hawks wouldn't have been out this morning looking for breakfast. (Would they)?
Surely Du'a and A'yah are just lost out there, hunkered down in some thick bushes, do you think?

They were 12 weeks old when shipped from a hatchery in Houston Tx, about 900 miles from here. They got here 5 days ago. And now they're gone.

 

[Hailey313]

Just went and checked the coop hoping my new girls had come home. Not only haven't they come back but my old rooster Rudy is gone too! Rudy was here earlier. I saw him myself! I've had all I can take! No more chickens! When the 3 remaining hens and 1 remaining rooster get eaten by a hawk or cyote, or what ever, I'm done with the chicken business!

 

[bobbi-j]

If your chickens are completely free range, I am guessing a predator is picking them off. If they were able to be in a coop with attached run for a while, whatever has found them would likely get discouraged eventually and move on.

 

[moniquem]

Ahhhhh free-ranging..........

 

[bobbi-j]

Ahhhhh free-ranging..........

Yep - not a matter of *if*, but *when* a predator is going to find your birds. I went 4 years without a single predator loss in my free range flock. Then the coytes found them. We were on vacation, had put our dog down a month before, and my mom was coming over to let them out in the morning and lock them up at night. That day, she had also checked on them at noon, and came back to do something at three. About half a dozen chickens had vanished without a trace in that time. And if they're out at night, they're totally helpless. Mine are locked in a coop at dusk and let out when DH or I get out there in the morning.

 

[Hailey313]

I have to agree with you bobbi-j.

I would consider a large enclosed run, (or even a small run, (considering I only have 4 chickens left), but with our income being disability checks totaling about $1000 a month, a run of any size isn't financially feasable. Too, even if the materials to build a run were given to us for free, I doubt my husband would get around to building it before the last bird was gone. I hate to put down the man I chose to marry, but what is, is.

 

[Hailey313]

Yep - not a matter of *if*, but *when* a predator is going to find your birds. I went 4 years without a single predator loss in my free range flock. Then the coytes found them. We were on vacation, had put our dog down a month before, and my mom was coming over to let them out in the morning and lock them up at night. That day, she had also checked on them at noon, and came back to do something at three. About half a dozen chickens had vanished without a trace in that time. And if they're out at night, they're totally helpless. Mine are locked in a coop at dusk and let out when DH or I get out there in the morning.

Mine are in an unlocked coop at night, but there was no sign this morning that the only door (on top) of tge coop had been gotten into during tge night.

 

[Hailey313]

I have a visual impairment. I'm totally blind in my left eye and can only read large print with my right. But I would put a run together if I could get the instructions iarge print.

I can often be found on the web looking at coops and runs. When I find one that is $200 or less, my husband quickly nixes the idea of buying it.

I can't drive, but he can. We have a Ford F-250 truck. He never seems to want to go pick up free pallets or other free materials that are in Craig's List. Always a reason.

 

[bobbi-j]

I have to agree with you bobbi-j.

I would consider a large enclosed run, (or even a small run, (considering I only have 4 chickens left), but with our income being disability checks totaling about $1000 a month, a run of any size isn't financially feasable. Too, even if the materials to build a run were given to us for free, I doubt my husband would get around to building it before the last bird was gone. I hate to put down the man I chose to marry, but what is, is.

I totally get it. Mine never rushed into anything until I grab tools and start doing it myself. He had a contracting business for a while, and... well... let's just say I'm not as precise as he is. It drives him crazy so he jumps in to "do it right". (I may or may not use that to my advantage. )

Mine are in an unlocked coop at night, but there was no sign this morning that the only door (on top) of tge coop had been gotten into during tge night.

It's tougher when they're getting picked off during the day. Unless you're out there every second, there's not much you can do. And I don't know about you, but I don't have time for that.

I'm sorry your chicken keeping experience has been rough. I had heavy predator losses last summer. Something (coyotes, I'm sure) got a bunch one day - same situation as before. We were on vacation, mom was chicken sitting. So, she locked the remaining chickens in the coop/run, and something else (looked like mink from the pictures) got a bunch more. When we got home we had 5 left. Four hens and a cockerel. I let them back out to free range. A hawk got one, and two others vanished. My last hen died in the coop for some reason, and we processed the lone cockerel. I'm planning my chicken buying for the spring.

 

[Hailey313]

I totally get it. Mine never rushed into anything until I grab tools and start doing it myself. He had a contracting business for a while, and... well... let's just say I'm not as precise as he is. It drives him crazy so he jumps in to "do it right". (I may or may not use that to my advantage. )
/QUOTE]

LOL