My wife put our two eight week old chicks in the "peeper pen" this afternoon. This is a special part of the outdoor chicken yard that is protected not only from predators but also protects baby chicks from older birds. Unfortunately, in locking the babies up away from the older birds, we are also locking them away from the henhouse. Of course, we make sure that they have a feeder and a waterer in them when they go into the peeper pen, and we normally allow them in there to play only when temperatures are decent.
By noon today, it was plenty warm and so my wife let the chickens out to play, including the two peeps in their special peeper pen. We normally ALWAYS get them back into the henhouse before the cold sets in.
But about 3:00pm, my wife got an emergency call from a lady in the church whose son had been injured at school. There was no way she could leave work, and she asked my wife to get her son and bring him to a minor emergency clinic for treatment.
My wife left the house in such a hurry that she forgot completely about the peepers being locked up. The older birds could go into the henhouse at dark, where we have a heater running, so they were OK.
But the two 8 week old babies were caught in that peeper pen clear up until about 8 pm tonight when I finally got home from work. My wife got home even later than myself.
I found the two little babies snuggled together at the door to the peeper pen. They knew that sometimes that door would open, and I guess that they probably tried their best to open that locked door and get themselves back to the warm henhouse when the cold night hit.
It was about 32 degrees when I finally got home to rescue them. The wind was blowing, which means that the wind chill factor was even colder for them.
I snuggled them both up against my jacket with my large hands, and got them into the house ASAP. Right now, I have them in the rubbermaid container that they used to live in, before they moved into the big henhouse. I figured as cold as they were for as long as they were cold, that it would be best to keep them in our heated home overnight.
My question is this: Are they likely to get sick because of several hours in the freezing cold?
And, are they likely to be psychologically traumatized by their being trapped in the cold out there tonight?
Right now, they look OK, just tired. They fell asleep a few hours ago, even before I put the blanket over their box.
By noon today, it was plenty warm and so my wife let the chickens out to play, including the two peeps in their special peeper pen. We normally ALWAYS get them back into the henhouse before the cold sets in.
But about 3:00pm, my wife got an emergency call from a lady in the church whose son had been injured at school. There was no way she could leave work, and she asked my wife to get her son and bring him to a minor emergency clinic for treatment.
My wife left the house in such a hurry that she forgot completely about the peepers being locked up. The older birds could go into the henhouse at dark, where we have a heater running, so they were OK.
But the two 8 week old babies were caught in that peeper pen clear up until about 8 pm tonight when I finally got home from work. My wife got home even later than myself.
I found the two little babies snuggled together at the door to the peeper pen. They knew that sometimes that door would open, and I guess that they probably tried their best to open that locked door and get themselves back to the warm henhouse when the cold night hit.
It was about 32 degrees when I finally got home to rescue them. The wind was blowing, which means that the wind chill factor was even colder for them.
I snuggled them both up against my jacket with my large hands, and got them into the house ASAP. Right now, I have them in the rubbermaid container that they used to live in, before they moved into the big henhouse. I figured as cold as they were for as long as they were cold, that it would be best to keep them in our heated home overnight.
My question is this: Are they likely to get sick because of several hours in the freezing cold?
And, are they likely to be psychologically traumatized by their being trapped in the cold out there tonight?
Right now, they look OK, just tired. They fell asleep a few hours ago, even before I put the blanket over their box.
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