Runaway hen- but not?

[DotToDot]

One of my favorite chickens has been acting weird. I love her- she’s a three-year-old Speckled Sussex who we named LB. She’s always been VERY wild, and since the farm we got her from has a habit of keeping grouse and chickens together, we’ve long wondered if she might be part grouse. I think she is!
Anyway, we have a very well-working fence (newish) that is four-and-a-half feet tall around the whole yard. Our chickens are free-range for our entire backyard, which Is pretty big (Vermont). Anyway, we haven’t had this problem with any of our other chickens, but LB keeps escaping. She has clipped wings, but I’m not sure that stops her. Or she has a hole in the fence I haven’t found (it’s wooden planks). LB escapes almost every day, but even though we’re right on a road, I think she can handle herself. She actually flies back into the yard- every day right around 5:08. I suspect she might have a nest outside. She’s very clever, and a good bird. She’s not a bully or anything, and although she gets pecked a lot, she doesn’t have any health issues, so I’m not worried about her in that field.
However.
Our neighborhood is known to have raccoons and sometimes skunks. I’m not really worried about LB- I think she’s smart enough to handle herself. I just want to know if anybody else has chickens that exhibit this behavior.
Thanks!

 

[Lardson]

This is perfectly normal, alot of my leghorns hop the fence in the morning after being let out. She is probably just looking for food, I wouldnt be concerned about it. Heck sometimes i let all of my birds into the yard to eat bugs and whatever it can find. Also I should add that from personal experience, I dont think clipping wings does much.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

@Miss Lydia has a chicken who tries to hide her eggs outside the yard too

 

[Lardson]

@Miss Lydia has a chicken who tries to hide her eggs outside the yard too

I doubt thats their intention when flying over, but when they are over the fence during the day they may need to lay an egg so they just do it wherever.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I doubt thats their intention when flying over, but when they are over the fence during the day they may need to lay an egg so they just do it wherever.

When you want to be broody and mom won’t let you and keeps taking your eggs you learn to hide them
Yes this bird would leave when she wanted to be broody !

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Miss Lydia has a chicken who tries to hide her eggs outside the yard too

i have a Speckled Sussex who is almost 2 she goes over the fence every morning she will not lay her egg inside in a nest box. Last week I found her down the driveway in the barn with 30 eggs some under her and others scattered around her. I got her out and put her in the coop got the eggs and tossed them into the woods. Now she is laying by the propane tank by the house. Last year she even stayed out overnight on a nest and I never did find her. But thankfully she is still with us. Her sister never leaves their property lays her egg in the nest boxes. Go figure. I would be concerned about her getting ran over, thankfully we live on a dirt road with minimal neighbors so very little traffic I have seen where she has been on the side of the road scratching.

 

[Lardson]

Um, ok!