missing hen

[headjog]

One of my hens has not come home tonight, the other 5 have nestled in to bed ok.
Have clucked around the garden with no response, have looked in all obvious areas to see if she is trapped somewhere.

Is it possible she's put herself for the night in a hedge somewhere?
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Kind regards

[headjog]

hi sorry to not introduce myself, we are relative newbie chook keepers- have only kept hens for about a year, we have (had) 6 hens who all get on really well together, but as I said one didn't come home last night, and still hasn't returned this morning.
We live surrounded by fields, our garden is mainly fenced off, but tthey do get into the fields too -one field is chest high with rapeseed at the mo, the hens haven't had their wings clipped, and pretty much go where they like.
They generally hang out together, but sometimes when one returns from laying an egg, she doesn't know where the others are - so calls noisily to find out where they are.

Is it possible she is sitting on an egg somewhere?
We've checked all around the fields making 'buck burrck' sounds, but heard nothing.
We can smell a fox the other side of the fields, but they have always been there, and never seem to come too close to the house, we have lived here 19 years.

Any hgelp would be appreciated.

Thanks again

headjog

[simon]

Hi

Has she turned up yet? I have lost hens in the past and had a few actually stolen from the garden when I lived in Somerset. I know its a worry when they are all normally together but you have done all one can do, if she is about I am hopeful she will turn up.

[headjog]

Thanks for your reply Simon,
I'm afraid 'Chilli' hasn't turned up yet, also rather ominously we can smell a fox very close to our garden this morning as well as black fox droppings in the field, as a precaution we have locked our other chickens in the run, so the fox can't grab them as well.

We didn't think it was a fox initially because we assumed he would take all of our hens.
Although now I have heard that sometimes a fox can take a chicken for it's young, there are no signs of feathers or distress or even a noise, so I was hoping she had gone broody and is sitting on an egg in a hedge somewhere, tonight will be her 3rd night missing so we are facing up to the fact that it is likely to be a fox.
Not sure how to progress with free ranging now

[simon]

Hi

I am sorry.

I can only speak for experience but I have lost too many hens to foxes. Sometimes they dont leave a single trace they are that fast. I free range mine to a point. I am always watching them when they are out and lock them in their run when I am out. Its as much freedom as I can allow without them being eaten. With the fact you can smell the fox to be frank it doesnt sound good but I have to say it because they are so precious.

I sincerely do hope it turns up but I am so sorry it doesnt dound good. keep us updated please.

Simon