BucksNducks
In the Brooder
- Apr 15, 2017
- 20
- 3
- 11
Hello everyone, I am quite new to keeping chickens and had the oddest thing happen a few days ago. Luckily it has a happy ending!
I have a little bantam chick (I believe Dutch) that is the smallest in the container I keep them in inside a closed she'd (they are too small to be outside) out of 4 golden sex links and what I believe is a black Cochin bantam. Around midnight I went to check on them as the night was unusually cold and they were fine. I came back at 7:30 and my Dutch was gone. Gone! They cannot fly over the side of the plastic container to my knowledge. I looked everywhere for the chick and begrudgingly left for the day after sitting out food and water in case it was loose and I missed it. I came home early around noon and still no chick after a thorough check. Sigh...
The day must continue and it's time for the older group to go outside completely. I load them up in my Polaris, along with the bag of cedar shavings to line their coop. There wasn't room to toss the shavings into the bed with the dog kennel, so I sat it next to me in the passenger seat. In I go to spread the shavings and I touch something FUZZY!
You guessed it, it was my bantam chick. Tired, cold, thirsty... But alive. I quickly got it water and back under the heat lamp- within a few minutes it was up and eating. It has totally recovered and is quite feisty! This little bird the size of a golf ball managed to survive the night and the trip in the Polaris.
I still wonder how on earth it got out, and then got into a bag of shavings that was at least 3 or four feet from the bin and the bag was crinkled over. Is it possible a rat snuck in and was going to have a chicken dinner? Was it just two very unlikely jumps? I'm not sure, but I am very glad it was found and doing well
Sorry for the novel, I just think this is the strangest thing!
I have a little bantam chick (I believe Dutch) that is the smallest in the container I keep them in inside a closed she'd (they are too small to be outside) out of 4 golden sex links and what I believe is a black Cochin bantam. Around midnight I went to check on them as the night was unusually cold and they were fine. I came back at 7:30 and my Dutch was gone. Gone! They cannot fly over the side of the plastic container to my knowledge. I looked everywhere for the chick and begrudgingly left for the day after sitting out food and water in case it was loose and I missed it. I came home early around noon and still no chick after a thorough check. Sigh...
The day must continue and it's time for the older group to go outside completely. I load them up in my Polaris, along with the bag of cedar shavings to line their coop. There wasn't room to toss the shavings into the bed with the dog kennel, so I sat it next to me in the passenger seat. In I go to spread the shavings and I touch something FUZZY!
You guessed it, it was my bantam chick. Tired, cold, thirsty... But alive. I quickly got it water and back under the heat lamp- within a few minutes it was up and eating. It has totally recovered and is quite feisty! This little bird the size of a golf ball managed to survive the night and the trip in the Polaris.
I still wonder how on earth it got out, and then got into a bag of shavings that was at least 3 or four feet from the bin and the bag was crinkled over. Is it possible a rat snuck in and was going to have a chicken dinner? Was it just two very unlikely jumps? I'm not sure, but I am very glad it was found and doing well
I feel like the worst chicken owner ever. I am trying hard to do right by them and am trying to learn all I can here to make fewer errors that put them in danger.
