Where would chickens go to escape?

[Lifetime chicken lover]

We have suffered too many losses this year (our first attempt at keeping chickens at present location) to dog next door, raccoons, and one strange unexplained incident.

Our chickens run free during the day and are in a very secure lockup coop at night. So far we have suffered no daytime losses....until yesterday.
The neighbor's Boxer ran after our three remaining chickens. One hen got away...the rooster and other hen were chased into the woods (near the river). The dog didn't want to attack them, and i truly believe he didn't harm them. But now they are nowhere to be found. I searched for as long as I could stand- getting more mosquito bites than I ever have in my life.
My question is where would scared chickens run to? Would they jump in the river if they were forced to? How can I find them...assuming they survived the night? Can anyone help me figure this out? I had hoped they would return sometime today...would they be able to find their way back on our 10 acre lot?

 

[pipermark]

time, they should return to the coop, if they are frightened the worse thing you can do is stand between them and the coop, they may stay to ground then. If you call them to treats a certain way , you might try that.

 

[jqs birds]

Do any of your neighbors have chickens? They may go towards the sound of other chickens.
They also may have tried to fly over the river to get away. Could they fly accross?

 

[deerman]

The rooster should start crowing at daylight.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I agree that they will return at dusk, if not tomorrow.

 

[horsejody]

Did they come back? Has the neighbor found a better way to confine their boxer? Don't be so sure the dog wouldn't kill them. Even if he just tried to play with them, he could kill them.

I hope they came back and all is well.

 

[Lifetime chicken lover]

They haven't returned yet...

I thought i heard the hen in the woods today...but when I tried to get closer, i couldn't hear her anymore. Do you think that they would stay near the house but not come home to the yard? If they could, they would return to the coop, wouldn't they?

It's funny, though. The hen that's left was the top(Alpha) hen and she never liked me much. But suddenly she follows me around wherever I go, and whenever I walk in her direction, she lies down in nesting position(almost submissive). Have I become the Alpha hen?

So my new question is, how long should I wait to see if the other two come back before I find someone else to take her in? I can't imagine that she's happy all alone. She needs other chickens, right?

 

[horsejody]

Don't give her away. Get more chickens to keep her company and make sure the dog stays away.

 

[Lifetime chicken lover]

This would be the third attempt at restarting a group. She was already from the second new chicken group. It seems like we just can't keep chickens safe here...everytime there seems to be just one chicken left and we are left to decide what to do with her.
I love chickens and mourn over every loss. And I would be ashamed to go back to the same farm where we got her and ask for more, because we lost her rooster, AGAIN!
We were thinking about starting over next year, and getting a nice big sweet dog as well, to keep them safe.

 

[Lifetime chicken lover]

And btw, I don't think the Boxer got ahold of either chicken, as there wasn't a single feather anywhere, and I combed those woods.