The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Bionic on August 24, 2015, 05:19:34 pm

Title: One chicken going missing
Post by: Bionic on August 24, 2015, 05:19:34 pm
I have one chicken that has decided she doesn't want to spend the night in the coop any more. She then disappeared so I thought the fox had got her.


A couple of days later she turned up again and thats how its been for the last couple of weeks.


Missing for a couple of days and then appearing. I have tried stalking her to find out where she is going but she seems to disappear without me noticing.


Very strange behaviour. Any suggestions?
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Anke on August 24, 2015, 05:27:33 pm
Has she got a secret love affair with the cockerel down the road? Maybe she has too make sure his current wifes don't find out about her....  ;D

Very strange - can you "tag" her like they do with young offenders?  ;D
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Kimbo on August 24, 2015, 05:38:26 pm
Brooding a nest somewhere.
When one of my Cream Legbars did this a few months ago I eventually found her in 4ft high nettles sitting on 17 eggs!
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Caroline1 on August 24, 2015, 05:44:24 pm
Ooh chicken adventures!!

I have one that keeps escaping but every time I go into the yard she comes running towards me. (I am the source of food and have taught them to come running when they see me, very handy ;D)
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: devonlady on August 24, 2015, 05:55:47 pm
I would say too that she has stolen a nest somewhere, the beggar!! It's either find her nest and put the eggs in an incubator (tricky as you won't know when to stop turning) try putting her and her eggs in a safe place (she may sit on them but equally may not!) or leave her alone and hope she comes homes, like Bo Peep!!
I think I would opt for the latter choice, a sitting hen has almost no scent so, hopefully won't be  got by foxy. Tricky!!
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Bionic on August 24, 2015, 06:35:44 pm
Well, if she is sitting they won't hatch as we don't have a cockerel and there aren't any other chickens close by but now that it has been mentioned it does seem like broody habits.


I will continue to keep watch and hope I spot her hiding somewhere


Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: adamhfc on August 24, 2015, 06:43:10 pm
She's maybe met a foreigner (pheasant) lol
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Kimbo on August 24, 2015, 06:52:06 pm
Bionic, we didnt have a cockerel either. Made no difference to my CLB! Silly bird
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: MarthaR on August 24, 2015, 10:07:25 pm
This happened to me and I also thought she had gone off lay. Then I was cleaning out the recently vacated pig ark and I found two weeks worth of her eggs  ;D She's now back in the usual routine!
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Bionic on August 25, 2015, 07:53:28 am
I'm gonna have to look in every nook and cranny then
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Jukes Mum on August 25, 2015, 08:29:20 am
We recently had two wander off to brood. Looked everywhere for them but no luck. Think Mr Fox must have had them :-(
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Bionic on August 25, 2015, 08:30:28 am
Just seen her from the window this morning. Went outside and she has gone. Foiled again
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: chrismahon on August 25, 2015, 01:36:34 pm
Our neighbour had one. Eventually found her nesting in a roll of electrical cable -sitting on 23 infertile eggs and looking very pale.
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Penninehillbilly on August 25, 2015, 05:10:24 pm
could you feed/fasten her in a pen for an 30mins or so, let her out and then watch where she goes?
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Kimbo on August 25, 2015, 06:44:47 pm
we could have a little wager as to how many eggs Bionic finds under her hen when she eventually tracks her down  ;D

I'll say 9
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Marches Farmer on August 26, 2015, 11:01:02 am
What breed?  My neighbour had some of my Dorkings but one was a wanderer and found all sorts of odd places to lay in. The fox got her on Monday, though - in mid afternoon.
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Bionic on August 26, 2015, 12:28:08 pm
Kimbo, you were wrong.
I found her this morning and she was sitting on 8 eggs. She put up a real fight when I tried to get her off. OH had to put on his gauntlet gloves and now she has gone off in a huff.


The eggs seem to be fresh, according to the water test, so I am going to crack them separately and if they smell ok, freeze them.
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Kimbo on August 26, 2015, 04:39:34 pm
Hey I was close though!
Just like my CLB. She tried to eat me and son when we removed her eggs and she too had a huff for a day! Arent they funny!
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Bionic on August 26, 2015, 04:51:50 pm
MF, she is a barred wyandotte and a little madam too
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Marches Farmer on August 26, 2015, 05:12:34 pm
We have Wyandottes too - not a breed that often goes broody in my experience, but right little madams ....yes.
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: Kimbo on August 26, 2015, 06:06:17 pm
I have 2 Laced Wyandottes that I intend to sell when I finally work out what gender the Blue Laced one is! They are both thugs. I hatched them and I handle my chicks and young chooks every day but these 2 are really nasty, pecky monsters. They are gorgeous but not at all nice-natured. The others in the hatch, including a cockerel, were lovely  sweet birds
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: bumpkins on August 29, 2015, 01:49:07 pm
I have a Silver Pencilled Wyandotte who goes broody roughly every 3 weeks and is also an absolute madam!  It takes me about 4 days to break her and during that time she behaves like the hen from hell - screeching at the top of her voice and even jumping up to beak me in the legs!  I just can't get rid of her though as I love her to bits! ???
Title: Re: One chicken going missing
Post by: waterbuffalofarmer on August 29, 2015, 05:47:20 pm
I had a Wyandotte hen which was a fantastic mother, always reared her chicks well and once stood up to a fox, he never even tried to eat her but ran away.  :roflanim: When my Buff Sussex went broody I used to lift her and she only ever pecked me once, until I told her off in a stern voice, and she never did it again. I'm glad you found your hen though. My two buff Sussex went missing in a storm, I found one and gave up trying to find the other. I looked casually out of the window, two days after she went missing, and I saw her running across the field of cows, so I searchedn the hedgerow, where I saw her disappear into, and eventually managed to flush her out of a bush, with my sheepdogs. She was missing her comb when I found her and it never grew back.