Chick runs away from mother?

[Cryss]

Do you have a dog cage you can cover with a tarp at night and a feeder and a waterer you can put inside during the day?? Put it in the run so the others can be near them and get used to their presence.

 

[Talka]

Do you have a dog cage you can cover with a tarp at night and a feeder and a waterer you can put inside during the day?? Put it in the run so the others can be near them and get used to their presence.

There are no others and no coop... If there was one there probably wouldn't be a problem. The chickens are not mine, they are "stray" chickens that decided they like my yard. They hang around here during the day and leave when it gets dark. The adults go to sleep nearby because there are no trees or comfortable perching places in my yard.
I thought about placing them in a cage during the night but it requires catching them, and they are frightened. I don't suppose there's some easy way to catch them on a daily basis?..

 

[Talka]

Sleeping on the ground out side they don’t have a chance. Eventually something will find them. If you have somewhere to put them I would try to catch them. Maybe even look at the little one with the wing issue to see what’s going on.

Thank you for your answer. I'm still trying to think of a solution. They survived the night but I know they are nowhere near safe out there as long as they're on the ground.
The "defected" one seems to be a healthy but slow-developing rooster, his feathers were always under-developed compared to all the others. His sister's feathers are much more developed than his.

 

[Cryss]

Thank you for your answer. I'm still trying to think of a solution. They survived the night but I know they are nowhere near safe out there as long as they're on the ground.
The "defected" one seems to be a healthy but slow-developing rooster, his feathers were always under-developed compared to all the others. His sister's feathers are much more developed than his.

Betcha the slow one is a boy.
Can you quickly arrange a coop? Maybe even a garage or shed temporarily. Tempt them inside with yummy treats. If successful keep them inside while you build a run.
Another thought is a dog kennel run with hardware cloth and ahardware cloth roof. Tempt them inside to trap them. At night you can quietly pieck them up and put them in a coop. Once you have them in a coop keep them in for at least a week so they learn that this is a safe place to call home. You could also find out where they sleep at night and catch them as they sleep.
Good luck!

 

[centrarchid]

Hen back in lay and may be getting ready to go broody again. She can then be a mortal threat to chicks that do not get away from her when they need to. Do not confine her with chicks at this point.