Chicks digging and escaping chicken tractor

[HennyPenny44]

Just learned something about one week old baby chicks. They know how to dig and escape their enclosure. I have mine in a dog crate enclosed in a chicken tractor with their broody mama. This weekend, when I was out, and it was 90 degrees, one of my chicks escaped the tractor. It dug a hole to the outside and was circling the tractor trying to get back to mama. Thank goodness I came home as soon as I did or I might have lost that chick. Mama was very distressed and so was baby.

I have blocked up other gaps under the tractor and keep checking for holes they make near the edges of the tractor. They already made 4 more. Just an FYI to those who are brooding their chicks outside.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Mama might've accidentally dug the hole, especially if soil is dry and loose, and chicks are so small they can just slip out of almost anything. But yes always a good idea to make sure chicks are WELL secured in whatever brooder you're using!

 

[HennyPenny44]

Mama might've accidentally dug the hole, especially if soil is dry and loose, and chicks are so small they can just slip out of almost anything. But yes always a good idea to make sure chicks are WELL secured in whatever brooder you're using!

It didn’t occur to me that mama did this. She is pretty overzealous with her demonstrations to her chicks on finding food on the ground. Here I was thinking I have some junior escape artists.