We got 15 chicks last Thursday and they're living, for the moment, in a box that is in a coop. The box is about 20-24" tall. We got 5 easter eggers, 5 red stars, and 5 silver laced wyandottes. The coop is all closed up with 1/2" hardware cloth on all openings and there is bedding in the coop (and in the box, of course). We just put a new feeder in there yesterday which is a little taller than the old one. Today we noticed chicks getting on top of the feeder. That's the back story.
So this afternoon I leave to take my girls to their volunteer job at the animal shelter. My son calls and says 'maybe I'm crazy but I only see 4 easter eggers'. So there wasn't much I could do at the time but the whole time I'm gone I'm trying to figure out how one can be missing. The only thing I can think of is that it got on top of the feeder and over the side of the box. Then probably died because we didn't hear any peeping and a chick alone will usually peep.
So I get home and sure enough there are only 14 chickens. I count them several times, my son counts them several more times, and my oldest daughter counts them several times. It's pretty easy to count them since there should be 5 of each color. 5 brown, 5 black/silver, and 5 yellowish red. Very distinctively different chicks. But there are only 4 brown easter eggers. We all counted them several times. First I move the feeder to the center of the box (so the houdinis can't get out again) and then I spend the next 30 minutes or so looking around in the coop (I did not go into the coop but my son did and looked around just a little-we figured if a live chick was in there, it would be moving around and making noise so I told him not to spend too much time since it was dusty and I am fresh out of dust masks). I looked in all the windows, so was able to look from pretty much all sides. No chick in there. Then I worried that one got out when I was showing my son how to fill the waterer and ran under the coop. Again, no peeping but then you never know, right? I had the dog come over and sniff under the coop since no one can see under there and she's calm as a cucumber. Probably nothing alive under there. Later I go out and give them fresh water and count again. 14 again.
So late tonight I decide to go check on them. I hate going out there alone so I make my son go with me. We get there, look in, and there are 15 chicks. We count over and over. We can even identify the one that was missing before, because it's lighter than the other 4. So what gives? Where was this chick hiding? There are no hidey areas in the box. It's just a cardboard box with all the flaps cut off or taped down. My son is sure it jumped out before and jumped back in. Is that even possible? (there is a cement block outside the box that we use for the waterer when we have big chickens in there).
I am so confused. And my husband is going to tell us we're crazy and counted wrong a dozen times apiece.
So this afternoon I leave to take my girls to their volunteer job at the animal shelter. My son calls and says 'maybe I'm crazy but I only see 4 easter eggers'. So there wasn't much I could do at the time but the whole time I'm gone I'm trying to figure out how one can be missing. The only thing I can think of is that it got on top of the feeder and over the side of the box. Then probably died because we didn't hear any peeping and a chick alone will usually peep.
So I get home and sure enough there are only 14 chickens. I count them several times, my son counts them several more times, and my oldest daughter counts them several times. It's pretty easy to count them since there should be 5 of each color. 5 brown, 5 black/silver, and 5 yellowish red. Very distinctively different chicks. But there are only 4 brown easter eggers. We all counted them several times. First I move the feeder to the center of the box (so the houdinis can't get out again) and then I spend the next 30 minutes or so looking around in the coop (I did not go into the coop but my son did and looked around just a little-we figured if a live chick was in there, it would be moving around and making noise so I told him not to spend too much time since it was dusty and I am fresh out of dust masks). I looked in all the windows, so was able to look from pretty much all sides. No chick in there. Then I worried that one got out when I was showing my son how to fill the waterer and ran under the coop. Again, no peeping but then you never know, right? I had the dog come over and sniff under the coop since no one can see under there and she's calm as a cucumber. Probably nothing alive under there. Later I go out and give them fresh water and count again. 14 again.
So late tonight I decide to go check on them. I hate going out there alone so I make my son go with me. We get there, look in, and there are 15 chicks. We count over and over. We can even identify the one that was missing before, because it's lighter than the other 4. So what gives? Where was this chick hiding? There are no hidey areas in the box. It's just a cardboard box with all the flaps cut off or taped down. My son is sure it jumped out before and jumped back in. Is that even possible? (there is a cement block outside the box that we use for the waterer when we have big chickens in there).
I am so confused. And my husband is going to tell us we're crazy and counted wrong a dozen times apiece.
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