Kits escaped to alfafa pasture - any hope they'll come back?

[Millroad]

My husband, a scrupulously careful man for the most part, left the hutch door open this AM and my son went out several hours later to find our doe and two kits running around on the barn floor, two kits still in the cage, and three missing. The kits are 7 weeks old. One we found dead in the back yard, so that one sure isn't coming back (we are thinking it was our dog). Right outside of the barn stall is 13 acres of waist-high grass and alfafa, and very little water.

Any chance that the remaining two, if still alive, will try to come back to the barn at some point, or at this age will they just strike out on their own? I put carrots, pellets, and water on the barn floor.

Interestingly, the 3 missing kits were all female - the males stayed with mama.

[a7736100]

I've had kits that escape and run towards me when they see me. Only works with kits that's been handled.

You may have a small chance of them coming back if they liked their cage and know it means food.

[KSALguy]

unless they are used to being handled alot and even then its not likely, they have all they need in all that grass and alfalfa, if they survive they are not going to come round till they are ready to breed and then only if they think no body sees them, when the kits came above ground in my colony and got a few weeks old they began looking for ways out, they have a natural tendency to spread out and away from the adults if they can, an established colony of a certain size will even forcibly drive younger members to the outskirts of the territory saveing the best realistate for the dominant animals and also spreading the population over a larger area,

you might luck out and catch them but i wouldnt hold my breath.

[wishbone]

Keep an eye out during the night, they may come back to be near their mother, I've had some get loose and caught them during the night with a large fish net. If they're gone more than a couple days, they're probvably already someones meal.snake,coon,ect.

[Wisconsin Ann]

Depending on how dry it is there, you could bait a live trap with water. They seem to be able to smell water from quite a distance. Kits that are raised in a cage setup don't seem to mind "cage" when they see it. *unlike feral cats or racoons