Where'd she go?

[crescentson]

Cross posted in the Texas thread. Hoping to get more eyes on it.

Ok guys, new chicken dad is freaking out here. Momma hen has been at the stage where she has stopped helping the chicks forage, and started chasing them off her finds. She has also been doing weird things like jumping in the barrel that I store the hay in whenever the lid is off, and exploring the dark areas in the shed. So I am thinking nesting behavior, right.

This morning I realized the chicks were following me around as I worked in the yard, which has never happened. And momma is no where to be seen. I have looked everywhere. My thoughts are swinging between brooded up somewhere and caught the bad end of a hawk. I shooed the chicks back to the coop just in case, and can't think of anything other than wait to see if she shows back up.

She is a silkie mix, and there is a bigger flock of leghorns with roosters next door. Maybe she went looking for some lovin? Would she do that?

 

[chickens really]

lol.....Your post made me laugh......Possibly she went looking for lovin?????

Probable she has gone broody again??

Also possible something got her???


Hope you find her.....

Cheers!

 

[crescentson]

Well, she didn't come home to roost.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She probably wouldn't be broody already, so if she hasn't returned I might suspect something snagged her. Hopefully she shows up in the next few days. Sorry.

 

[SleepyHollowFnF]

For us, missing chickens two times out of three was death from a predator. Once a silkie, today it was something snagging our big red sex links. Needless to say, we will be waiting with some firepower tomorrow waiting for whatever got her to return for the meat it left behind (almost all of the bird).

 

[crescentson]

I can't even find a stray feather. It is just weird. I was less than 50 feet from her and never heard a sound. We got the hen and chicks from the guy next door. I thought she might have decided the kids were grown and went home. The neighbor hasn't seen her either. Guess I'll be building a chicken tractor then...

 

[donrae]

I wouldn't be surprised if she shows up in 3 weeks with chicks.

How old are the chicks she came with?

 

[crescentson]

Eight weeks, give or take. She has been pushing them "out of the nest" for the last week or so.

 

[Weehopper]

You might want to check to be sure she hasn't gotten herself locked in somewhere, and can't get out.

 

[ambergds]

I hope you find her!