Chicken bald back

[grahamrhind]

Here's a mystery.

 

I let out our two hens this morning and, as they're still looking for a dominant hen and follow me everywhere, I left open the garden gate so that they can peck around the house and settle down while we have breakfast.

 

40 minutes later, I go out to lock them into their run, and they've both just disappeared. We looked everywhere - out buildings, neighbouring fields, shrubs, hedgerows. Normally one can hear them, but now there's silence. They're not in their usual hiding places, nothing's fallen on them. They've just vanished.

 

We've had no predators in the two years we've had the ladies, and there is no sign of one today - no squawking, no feathers, no blood. We heard nothing (and we breakfast in silence and can hear them clucking if they're around). And what predator would silently take two chickens at once? We also can't believe they were stolen - we don't live on a road, so we would have heard a car, and any thief would have had to walk past the kitchen window.

 

There's a house with a cockerel about 400 m away, but if the ladies decided to make a break for it they would have had to both learn how to get under/over our garden fence then sprint across open fields; and from where we are we can see those hens free-ranging as usual without any sign of ours.

 

We're at a loss. Any ideas what might have happened?

[mullethunter]

Oh no that's rubbish. Unless they have found somewhere hidden away to sit quietly and maybe lay their eggs, I'm afraid I would assume something had got them.

 

Fingers crossed they turn up

[Olly]

Sorry to hear it. I'm afraid my money would be on a fox having taken them although I'd expect you to have heard some squawking. It's possible that one hen was taken and the other has gone into hiding - I would keep looking right up till dusk, as that's usually when they will try to return to the coop.

 

I thought I'd lost a hen a few weeks ago when they were spooked by a cat - no matter how much I called and threw grain she was nowhere to be seen, but she waddled into view at bed-time. And I live in an urban area with an enclosed garden so there weren't that many hiding places, I still don't know where she was. Don't give up hope yet.

[Mars]

I have a feeling that you will find them hiding somewhere

[Groovychook]

I hope they turn up safe and sound

[grahamrhind]

The aliens were good enough to return our hens to us, safe and sound. We returned last night to find them in the Eglu.

 

This morning, after laying, they disappeared again, but this time we managed to locate them, exploring the out-buildings of the stables 100m away! Clearly the 500 square metre run I provide isn't enough for them . Looks like we'll be fence building into the wee hours tonight ...

[Olly]

Phew, glad to hear they are back! I would be concerned about predators though, the fact that you haven't seen one in two years wouldn't give me much comfort.

[Groovychook]

Wow! That's wonderful news

I have to admit that I feared the worst.

What adventurous girls you have

[Mrs_B]

So glad to read that your girls are safe and sound!

 

Well done for figuring out where they were going - cheeky girls

 

x

[Luvachicken]

Very pleased to read that they came back

[Mars]

I was right

[mullethunter]

Hooray So glad they turned up