7 week old chick ran away. What to do?

[Sunny Side Up]

Awww, I'm so sorry about your lost chickie! It must have seemed like a good idea to treat your new birds to some fresh air & outdoor fun. On the positive side, chicks can & do survive some extreme conditions, and there is a good chance that by daylight tomorrow you'll find it poking around the yard, looking for its buds.

However...

I'm afraid there's also a very good chance that this chick was nabbed by some predator right from the start. Did you watch it run off into the woods or is that just your theory? There is a whole long list of critters who consider young chicks a delicacy, they could have grabbed this chick from your yard or right after it ran into the woods.

Usually chicks like to hang together, and will yeep & cheep if they're separated. But if these chicks were new to each other and to your yard, they may not have formed a good cohesive flock dynamic yet. I think you should keep the rest of them confined to some sort of pen until they get more used to each other and to your yard as home.

Let us know what happens, I hope & pray for a positively miraculous outcome! Otherwise, don't blame yourself but file it under Lessons Learned The Hard Way, there will be many others on this forum who will benefit from what you've shared.

 

[kirkster5]

We had eyes on her and flushed her into the yard several times before we lost sight of her so I know she was not nabbed from the get go, and if she was cheeping with all of the bird/squirell/etc....any noise she was making would have been just part of the chaos. That is our biggest concern that she has no real reason to stay around and return as she has no bond with us or the surroundings. She had been raised to this point with the other 3 chicks but was part of about 50 in her brooder so I dont think that she would have any real bond with the other 3. That's why I think that even if she survives the night what could I possibly do to entice her back. At this point my wife and I were the scary things that were chasing her.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Well if I were you I would still go out in the am & take a peek around. At 7 wks. there has to be something that she would relate to in the way of food, the other chicks or some such thing that she'd think "oh there it is." Even if the other chicks were in with her with another 40 chicks they were the ones moved with her & the last thing she "relates to" I think & they're of her kind. She would still be speaking the same "cheep cheep" they do.

My husband use to give our chicks moths from around the light at night time & some times I'll go to the local pet store & get them some crickets as a treat & when they see him now they come *running*. If they see a clear plastic bag like the crickets come in they're knocking each other over to get to him & the older pullet I have runs to the yard gate when his car pulls in the driveway....

Was there anything that the people you'd bought them from said "they're use to having .......... & they'll look for it" ? Like maybe yogart, cottage cheese. etc.?

More than the cold being the end I have to agree that a predator would be more likely to be an end to her. But that doesn't have to be & the temps she would probably survive. Even in a group of 40 if there were people around daily then he/she is use to people. I would go out & just look around in the morning though they'll be birds chirping again at that time. I would still go & give the "here chickie chickie chickie call. I think we all use that when they're in groups or even as a singleton.

I am sorry I know you all must be going crazy worrying.

 

[kirkster5]

Yeah, at this time it is more guilt. I know better than to trust that a critter of any kind bonds with its parent(me and my wife) as fast as in a day. It was just such a nice day and in my neck of the woods nice days are about over for about 6 months. I just wanted to give them a nice stretch. We fall hard and fast for our pets and probably give them too much trust too soon. We are just sick and are feeling so bad. Its our fault and I cant stand the thought of her cold,scared and alone in her new strange enviornment not really knowing where home is.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Oh hey I do understand believe me. I have a chicken coop that I've divided in half to keep the older Austrolorp 4 month old pullet off the younger 7 wks old Orpington pullets & I've such a fear every time I close them in that she'll be the end of whoever she gets her beak on if on happens to end up on her side. I would feel so bad that *I* locked them up & in with her! Well tonight I had gone back out to the coop to lock up now that they were all inside & I could *hear* the scared pullet let out a squeally "braaakkkkk" to which I yelled "HEY....." & I opened the door to this sweet little thing looking at me almost pleading to get her outta there! She never even twitched or tried to get from me as I scooped her up & brought her back around to the door on their side of the coop. The poor little darling. Tomorrow I go & get another & better divider.... I felt horrible I know just how you feel! I have a baby cam on them so I can kinda see if there's a real fight happening & go to them.

 

[Solsken Farm]

Any luck finding the poor little sweetie?


I hope she makes/made it. Let us know.

 

[kirkster5]

I cant believe it. We found her!!!!! it is 8:00am here and about 15 mins ago my wife went out to feed the horses and I hear her yelling my name. I go out and there is my very cold little chick pacing around our big girls coop. She did not run or anything she let us go pick her up. She is a little damp,cold and hungry. We got her in the brooder(heat lamp on of course) and she started cheeping along with the other 3 and went straight for the food. I'm so happy we found her. I am crossing my fingers now hoping that she will be fine. Thank you all for your support. I would have given up all hope last night if it werent for you all saying that she could survive one night in the cold.

 

[tree_78]

Oh my gosh!!!!!! What a little miracle!!!! What a happy story!!!! Thanks for updating!!!!!! (((hugs)))

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Yay for you and the chickie!!
Of course, now we need pictures.

 

[Mom2Cool]

ok well I don't normally say "told ya so" but since this turned out well I'll say, we told ya so.... LOL


Seriously I'm glad you'd found her. Yours was the only place she knew to go to so....

And I agree that now we need a pic of her....