Chick is AWOL?

[Tankueray]

A few minutes ago, I went out onto my enclosed back porch to check on my 2 week old chicks in their 110 gallon rubber tub brooder. One of the spitzhauben chicks is just...gone. Nothing out of place, the other chicks aren't traumatized. The porch opens into the back yard where the older pullets and ducks are, they were clamoring for food like normal when I poked my head out there. I've looked all around the porch and under things with a flashlight. No sign of the chick, no poop on the floor. He's one of the friskiest chicks. There's another spitz in there and 4 Lav. Ameraucanas, one of which has taped feet and would be sooo much easier to grab.

I filled the feeder last night around 9pm, and he was definitely there then. I may not have checked this morning because they were under the heat plate, usually I just whistle and they whistle back and one pokes his head out.

They can all get on top of the heat plate, but I don't think he could make it to the top rim yet unless he got up on the waterer and then out. Anything that would've gotten onto the porch during the night should have left some evidence of things misplaced, right?

The only possibilities I can think of are:

• He got out this morning and is off hiding (which isn't likely at all)
• A cat got in and carried him off without leaving any evidence, but the dog wasn't interested in sniffing anything on the porch this morning at all.
• Alien abduction

(It's not the dog, he's too big and would have to knock stuff over to get his head in there.)
The only thing out of place is a newly discovered pile of mealworms and mouse poop. (It is mouse, and the mice around here are much smaller than the chicks.)

Ugh, and I just saw that I left my (really nice, nearly new) miter saw out in the rain for 5 days. Now I'm going to be sick. Guess I'll go dig out the traps and set them out tonight.

What do you think, Cat? Aliens?

 

[LaFleche]

There was nothing to cover the top of the tub? Do you have a picture of your setup?

 

[LaFleche]

Two week old Spitzhaubens will have their wings already feathered completely and thus be able to escape a tub by just flying up on the rim and from there who knows...

Always have the tub covered with hardwarecloth, or else you will lose every single chick.

 

[Tankueray]

Two week old Spitzhaubens will have their wings already feathered completely and thus be able to escape a tub by just flying up on the rim and from there who knows...

Always have the tub covered with hardwarecloth, or else you will lose every single chick.

Yeah, but he'd have done the panic peeping within the first 10 minutes. Spitzes are quite, but not this quiet. The tub isn't covered, I've never needed it to be, and unless it's on a frame and hinge, a cover won't do any good against a cat. That's actually how I gauge whether they're ready to go outside, if they're roosting on the ledge all the time.
I had been putting up a gate on the door (because it's old and needs replaced) but I forgot to this week.

I'm convinced it was a feral cat I keep seeing around here. The only things brave enough to come into a yard that has been marked by dogs for years, and then into a part of a house occupied by said dog and a human, is a cat. Other animals aren't that hungry yet. The only reason I've been tolerating that cat is because I seem to have less skunk visits since he showed up. The dog has treed him a couple of times, so I'm sure there's some revenge factored in there.

And, cats are planners and opportunists, but they're super lazy. There are 6 week old chicks in the yard only protected by a barrel lock and a light pop door, that little coop and the big coops have never been approached. But he can walk along a brick ledge without walking through the yard and drop down to the porch door. I'm sure he's just been waiting for me to not put that gate up.

Luckily, I can get more of those Spitzes locally. And I'm pretty sure I noticed last night that the one that's missing was really henny feathered, so yes, the wings were complete. But that also means I didn't want to breed him either, the lady had some Seabrites in the run next to the Spitzes, so he could've been the milkman's kid.

I just finished candling 56 eggs at 7 days. 40 of them are marching on, so I'll have some gold and chamois spitzes soon enough. And there's a poultry show tomorrow, maybe I'll buy a wooden brooder there to reclaim my floor space.

Stupid cat.

 

[turkey girl 0964]

Yeah, but he'd have done the panic peeping within the first 10 minutes. Spitzes are quite, but not this quiet. The tub isn't covered, I've never needed it to be, and unless it's on a frame and hinge, a cover won't do any good against a cat. That's actually how I gauge whether they're ready to go outside, if they're roosting on the ledge all the time.
I had been putting up a gate on the door (because it's old and needs replaced) but I forgot to this week.

I'm convinced it was a feral cat I keep seeing around here. The only things brave enough to come into a yard that has been marked by dogs for years, and then into a part of a house occupied by said dog and a human, is a cat. Other animals aren't that hungry yet. The only reason I've been tolerating that cat is because I seem to have less skunk visits since he showed up. The dog has treed him a couple of times, so I'm sure there's some revenge factored in there.

And, cats are planners and opportunists, but they're super lazy. There are 6 week old chicks in the yard only protected by a barrel lock and a light pop door, that little coop and the big coops have never been approached. But he can walk along a brick ledge without walking through the yard and drop down to the porch door. I'm sure he's just been waiting for me to not put that gate up.

Luckily, I can get more of those Spitzes locally. And I'm pretty sure I noticed last night that the one that's missing was really henny feathered, so yes, the wings were complete. But that also means I didn't want to breed him either, the lady had some Seabrites in the run next to the Spitzes, so he could've been the milkman's kid.

I just finished candling 56 eggs at 7 days. 40 of them are marching on, so I'll have some gold and chamois spitzes soon enough. And there's a poultry show tomorrow, maybe I'll buy a wooden brooder there to reclaim my floor space.

Stupid cat.

So there is nothing covering their brooder? And you let them fly to the rim all the time? That sound like an accident waiting to happen...