Kitchen Garden Forum

I've had a very energetic two days. I went to give the hens their tea the other afternoon and noticed that one was missing. So I did a tour of everyone's gardens, round the back of the flats, across the road, all round my garden and hen run and everywhere I could think but couldn't find it, then on a second trip I heard it rustling about over the wall. Since I can't get over the wall from my garden I ran up the hill, asked at the house 2 doors away if I could climb over their wall and searched about among the brambles and ivy, but it had vanished again. As it was coming dark I had to leave it and hope the fox didn't get it.

So at 7.20 the next morning I donned my gardening clothes and wellies, got an angling keep net (specially purchased for catching wayward hens)and put some dog food in a tub as a lure and went back up the hill, through my neighbour's garden and over the wall. Sure enough the hen emerged from the ivy and gave herself up without too much of a struggle.

Then I had the problem of climbing back through the brambles and over the wall with a keep net in one hand and a hen under my arm. Then I managed to walk back down the street past the people going to work with a "what are you looking at, it's quite normal to have a hen under your arm and a net in your hand" smile.

I cut some branches off one of the trees next to the fence as I think she must have got up the tree and flown over the fence. They can see through to the other side now the leaves have fallen so it must have looked tempting.

Anyway she hasn't escaped today, so hopefully that is it.

The great adventures of Plumpudding.

Glad she's back safe.

Glad to hear she's been brought home. The prodigal pullet

I had a similar experience a few years ago when one of mine decided to set up home across the river* which runs the length of our field. I was sure it was bound to be the ultimate barrier to adventurous fowl, but somehow she got over. For two weeks I tried to get her back, in vain; I was reduced to feeding her every morning and trying to persuade her to be caught - no luck. Wisely she had decided that her roost was ten to twelve feet up a holly tree, so she was fox-proof. I watched her fluttering up from branch to branch every night. Eventually I decided to corner her, only to have her jump up on the hedge and when I approached, simply fly back across the river. At least I knew how she had got there. She has never strayed again.

* When I say "river" I should explain that what round here we call "afon" (river) is what others in Wales would call "nant" (stream), but it is a good 12 feet from bank to bank, and the banks are pretty high. I never saw a hen fly so high and well.

Hi there, It's always eventful keeping livestock isn't it. Apart from the fox, my other worry was that she would roam a bit further along the waste ground and end up behind the Chinese takeaway. I think that is where the last one to escape ended up as it was never seen again.

Hello PP
I've had something similar occur a few times. Its always been when 'chicken licken' has been spooked by something, maybe a fox or neighbour's dog. Sometimes buzzards flying overhead provoke a similar reaction. After a few hours the bird forgets but at this time of year when it gets dark quickly perhaps they get caught out and don't get home.

John