4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Lailapet]

I've posted most of this in the fox warning thread, but I've got a wrong feeling about it all. It just doesn't make much sense...

At around 6pm when my daughter cycled to the local shop all 3 of my chickens were in the garden having just had a handful of raisins. Just after 7 when I did a little bit of weeding I noticed Mr Frandsen (the cockerel) and Putte (the brown hen) pottering about nearby. When I shut the eglu for the night Mrs Frandsen (the black hen) was missing!!!! I did a thorough tour of the garden looking for feathers, blood or anything that might indicate where she went. We had doors and windows open, kids running in and out and one of the lorries arriving home and parking in the yard but none of us ever heard anything!

I'm not saying a fox took her, I know they can be quick, but she is definitely not here. The other two seemed calm and peaceful and not upset at all. Surely they can't just be thinking "I'm so glad it wasn't me this time!" They will stay in the eglu and run only from now on - but what do I do when I have to give the cockerel back when we move? I can't keep a lonely hen all on her own!!! I heard new chickens should be introduced in pairs but don't really want to get two new ones as there is not much room in an eglu run without an extension and 3 in all might be too crowded? Am I jumping the gun? Is there any possibility Mrs Frandsen might return?

Laila

[Egluntyne]

Rotten luck.

 

Maybe she has gone for a wander, and couldn't find her way home once light began to fail.

 

They don't see well in the dark.

 

Let's hope she turns up in the morning.

[Stevie]

She may have become disorientated and gone to roost in a shrub at dusk.Best thing is to do a thorough search tommorrow morning.

 

Fingers crossed you find her.

[Abbey Road Girl]

Do keep us posted. All us hen keepers will be having our fingers crossed for you and her. They can survive a night out.

[Lailapet]

Thanks for crossed fingers! Unfortunately, Mrs Frandsen is well and truly gone !!! She was the funniest of them... Always came running very fast up the garden in the hope of a treat whenever the patio doors opened. Oh well, there is nothing much I can do about it now. A few weeks ago I was very worried about Putte as she was limping, but otherwise seemed fine. I used to think that if a fox came along she would be the one to be eaten first as she couldn't run away. She is fine now and the little sprinter was the one instead...

 

That's the way it goes out there in the real world and strangely I am much more upset than the children.

 

Laila

[Egluntyne]

Sad news.

[susanbb]

So sorry to hear this

[Stevie]

Sorry she never made an appearance.

[Gamebird]

So sorry to hear about Mrs Frandsen disappearing. It is the not knowing what has happened that is so distressing.

 

One of my chickens was taken by a fox but came back 2 hours later unharmed and none the worse for her experience.

 

A friend's cockerel was also taken by a fox and he came back 3 days later unharmed.

 

Have you alerted all your neighbours to keep a look out. You never know, somebody might have her not knowing who she belongs to.

[ajm200]

I'm so sorry to hear that she's gone

[Abbey Road Girl]

Still hoping for a good outcome. Miracles do (sometimes) happen.

[Lailapet]

Thanks everyone! I know miracles do happen. The weather has recently turned quite nasty here and I don't think a possibly wounded hen could get back home easily but would rather sit under a bush till it got better and then the fox would just go get her again. The other two are quite upset at me keeping them in the eglu run, but I just can't risk letting them out when I'm not in the garden to keep watch!

But this leaves me with the problem of what to do with the lonely Putte once I give the cockerel back to my friend... Would it be OK just to get one new hen to keep her company? As I only have the basic eglu with run and no extensions I don't really have room for more than two fully grown hens, do I? Would it be totally ridiculous to get a couple of bantams perhaps? Or should I look into getting an extension to the run and two hen? Transport costs are quite high to Denmark, but I need a new glug and could do with some spare roosting bars, so perhaps I could get it all in one box... Hmm... this needs a little more consideration. Perhaps I should just try my luck at introducing just one hen... What do you think?

Laila