This is going to be a real long one but please need somebody's help

[Bartonsfinest]

So yesterday when I went out to do a head count of my six hens that are free range my 8 month old Appenzeller Spitzhauben hawk was nowhere to be found of course I freaked out because we just lost her sister egg McMuffin a month ago so I am crying screaming her name shaking the bag of worns nothing no signs of her. Where I live is out in the country but the road is like a main road and people are assholes and they fly up and down it so that's my number one concern she doesn't like fly over the fence all the time just I don't she's a bird she's a chicken that she does that at instinct so when she does she realizes what she does and she panics and that's when she goes into the gate she wasn't there so my husband and I searched everywhere where I lived I mean I walked down the road with my dog to see if he could find her till it was till 3:00 this morning I finally passed out from exhaustion. Today get up and go out and take care of the hens like I do everyday with the five remaining ones still no sign of hawk still yelling for her still shaking a treat bag stillness on it's like she just vanished into thin Air naturally I'm thinking somebody stole her that's the the best reasonable explanation somebody went my yard and took her. I go back inside to get myself and my children ready for Xmas super duper sad not wanting to go and do anything because my Hawks on home my husband volunteered to stay back sit in case she did show up or something happened that way somebody was here husband goes outside to do a head count and he I've never seen his man run so fast comes flying back inside the house hawk is back she's back! I don't know how she did it but she was in the fence back with the rest of her flock cuz my gate the only way to get my it locks it has a latch on it you have to physically take your hand in my latch it unless she flew back in I don't know how she got back in she got him by yourself she's she's back and it's amazing like it's a Christmas miracle but she looks like she's been through hell she's limping her eyes cut and you can just tell something has happened to her while she's been gone. There's no like breyers on her or feathers missing those are the only visible marks and obviously her leg she's limping she doesn't she's like sensitive she don't want to touch it she doesn't it don't look broke it doesn't look deformed so we separated her and put her in the sick Bay for right now and I'm going to tend to her leg we don't have a veterinarian for chickens while we live so I'm trying to find one and it's Christmas Eve so it's not easy but does any the reason why I'm asking for help does anybody have a similar story or do they know like what I should do I'm just so happy to have her home like so happy it's amazing it's the best feeling in the world cuz I'm losing chickens doesn't get easier it gets harder every time and like I said we just lost her sister a month ago tragically. Sorry the post is so long and it's me just ranting I'm just so happy and excited same time and confused and don't know what to do with the next step is I'm kind of freaking up here so any advice or any any information anybody can give me is really appreciated thank you guys and Merry Christmas

 

[RoyalChick]

I don't know what to say except that it is great news she is back.
You should look her over really well for wounds and to make sure there are no broken bones.
Clean up any wounds and give her some easy to digest food - like scrambled egg and make sure she is eating, drinking and pooping just fine.

 

[Bartonsfinest]

I also forgot to add that before this happened my husband and I were in the process of building them a run we just built them a brand new coop and we're going to combined the old coop and the old Attached run to the new coop and make it one big chicken village but it's been raining where we live and my husband and I just got over the flu so it's a process I don't need people on here saying maybe you shouldn't let them free range so then maybe they wouldn't get out and you wouldn't have this problem I've had some pretty negative comments on my stuff on here lately. I'm well aware of the dangers and what can happen when you let your chickens free range. I understood the assignment when I got my very first two chickens about free ranging them but when I got my first two chickens I felt like they weren't happy being locked up all day long and that they were the most happiest when they were just roaming around in the yard I have never had a chicken get out talk is the only chicken out of the eight chickens that I had cuz I've lost a few that died didn't die because they got out hawk is the only one that has gotten out but I feel as if you have the room the space and you feel comfortable with it that you should try and let your chickens free range to me they seem happier but that is just my opinion my chickens don't like to be caged up in a dirty muddy run they should be free we already upset the natural order of their lives by you know making them into pets or egg layers or whatever the hell you have chickens for but I feel like I make them a little happier just by letting them free range it hurts me just as much as it hurts the chickens that I have to lock them back up into a run I didn't get chickens for eggs or meat I got chickens for pets literally like pets like a cat or a dog so I want them to be happy not sad to the point where they don't know like their home or don't want to be around me so I take a lot of stuff about my chickens very personal and to heart call me weird call me crazy I don't really give a **** thank you

 

[Bartonsfinest]

I don't know what to say except that it is great news she is back.
You should look her over really well for wounds and to make sure there are no broken bones.
Clean up any wounds and give her some easy to digest food - like scrambled egg and make sure she is eating, drinking and pooping just fine.

That's what I that's what I'm doing now I'm I'm going to I think I'm just going to cancel my Christmas Eve plans because I feel like hawk is more important than you know being around weird family members and I don't really see all your anyways so that way I can attend better to her but she separated from the flock and she's in her own pain and she's warm and she's happy she seems relieved to be back home and we are so extremely happy to see her thank you for the advice Merry Christmas

 

[Jakemedic]

That's what I that's what I'm doing now I'm I'm going to I think I'm just going to cancel my Christmas Eve plans because I feel like hawk is more important than you know being around weird family members and I don't really see all your anyways so that way I can attend better to her but she separated from the flock and she's in her own pain and she's warm and she's happy she seems relieved to be back home and we are so extremely happy to see her thank you for the advice Merry Christmas

I’m glad she returned. Honestly, chickens are better company than the weird family members we all have. Merry Christmas to you as well and good luck with your girl!

 

[rural mouse]

If there's a flockmate she's particularly close with, you may want to bring that one in with her. Chickens aren't usually happy alone. They like companions.

My independent Twirp lost her tail feathers to a dog, hid, was out all night, was found and fished out from DEEP inside a juniper bush. Brought her inside to do clean up/check her over and observe. She drank but wouldn't eat. One of the roos had his tail feathers missing too, but had gotten back into the coop before dark. I snagged him (she isn't close to ANY of the ladies) and brought him in to check over. Then put him in with her. He promptly snuggled in with her, purring and coo-ing to her. She snuggled UNDER him and they both spent the night inside. She didn't start eating until after he started crowing the next morning. When I went to put him out, he turned and fought to come back inside. That only ceased when she took herself out to join him.

The night she spent outside was below freezing (just) and she was shocky and cold when I brought her in. I'm not sure she would have started eating on her own without him.

 

[Bartonsfinest]

She had a little friend but she passed away the week of Saw Thanksgiving it was her hatch her hatch made or whatever you want to call ll

I’m glad she returned. Honestly, chickens are better company than the weird family members we all have. Merry Christmas to you as well and good luck with your girl!

Right and I'm like the black sheep of my family 1,000% so it's completely so awkward and miserable when I go to any family functions. I try to avoid them like the black plague or like covid LOL. Hawks is doing a lot better she's getting better every day she separated from the rest of the flock and she's been getting a lot of rest a lot of treats he's been eating normal drinking normal I got her a supplement to put her water and I also give her like all natural stuff like oregano and vitamins and stuff like that she doesn't seem to be in pain she will try to walk on her leg like she moves around where we got her at it's on like my screened in Sun porch so it's like off of my bedroom so I could hear something's wrong she's got like a little it's like a little it looks like a little dog house and we put hay in there for and it's insulated so there's heat in there so it's warm it's got power and she her bowl food isn't very far from her and she's sleeping her little dog house with her head and she's been moving around a little bit in the daytime she'll move and sit in front of the door so she can look out into the yard the only thing is she's by herself that's only sad thing is I don't like that she's by herself but I'll go outside all the time and I go and I pick her up like a baby and I take her in my arms and I carry around the yard like little child and she falls asleep she loves it so I try to get her to where she's not using her leg and keeping her away from the rest of t the flock Bay so she's been she's been separated from the rest of the flock

 

[Bartonsfinest]

Thank you to everybody that posted and gave me an excellent advice this is why I always come to backyard chickens when I have a problem with one of my girls I've never got any bad advice from anybody on here hope everybody has a really good New years and thank you so much to everybody who's ever helped me or gave me any advice I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart and so does my girls,

 

[The Welch Chickens]

So yesterday when I went out to do a head count of my six hens that are free range my 8 month old Appenzeller Spitzhauben hawk was nowhere to be found of course I freaked out because we just lost her sister egg McMuffin a month ago so I am crying screaming her name shaking the bag of worns nothing no signs of her. Where I live is out in the country but the road is like a main road and people are assholes and they fly up and down it so that's my number one concern she doesn't like fly over the fence all the time just I don't she's a bird she's a chicken that she does that at instinct so when she does she realizes what she does and she panics and that's when she goes into the gate she wasn't there so my husband and I searched everywhere where I lived I mean I walked down the road with my dog to see if he could find her till it was till 3:00 this morning I finally passed out from exhaustion. Today get up and go out and take care of the hens like I do everyday with the five remaining ones still no sign of hawk still yelling for her still shaking a treat bag stillness on it's like she just vanished into thin Air naturally I'm thinking somebody stole her that's the the best reasonable explanation somebody went my yard and took her. I go back inside to get myself and my children ready for Xmas super duper sad not wanting to go and do anything because my Hawks on home my husband volunteered to stay back sit in case she did show up or something happened that way somebody was here husband goes outside to do a head count and he I've never seen his man run so fast comes flying back inside the house hawk is back she's back! I don't know how she did it but she was in the fence back with the rest of her flock cuz my gate the only way to get my it locks it has a latch on it you have to physically take your hand in my latch it unless she flew back in I don't know how she got back in she got him by yourself she's she's back and it's amazing like it's a Christmas miracle but she looks like she's been through hell she's limping her eyes cut and you can just tell something has happened to her while she's been gone. There's no like breyers on her or feathers missing those are the only visible marks and obviously her leg she's limping she doesn't she's like sensitive she don't want to touch it she doesn't it don't look broke it doesn't look deformed so we separated her and put her in the sick Bay for right now and I'm going to tend to her leg we don't have a veterinarian for chickens while we live so I'm trying to find one and it's Christmas Eve so it's not easy but does any the reason why I'm asking for help does anybody have a similar story or do they know like what I should do I'm just so happy to have her home like so happy it's amazing it's the best feeling in the world cuz I'm losing chickens doesn't get easier it gets harder every time and like I said we just lost her sister a month ago tragically. Sorry the post is so long and it's me just ranting I'm just so happy and excited same time and confused and don't know what to do with the next step is I'm kind of freaking up here so any advice or any any information anybody can give me is really appreciated thank you guys and Merry ChristmasView attachment 3711664

Beautiful girl! (I love the black hearts on her feathers)
Glad she's back home; good luck with her!

 

[Bartonsfinest]

Beautiful girl! (I love the black hearts on her feathers)
Glad she's back home; good luck with her!

Thank you! She's such a good chicken I never even noticed the hearts in her feathers