Today I went out to the grow-out pen to prepare it for some of the chicks ready to transition to outside. I noticed about 3 days ago the two bowls I use to feed the little guys were upside-down, which they often are as I keep the pen open for anyone when it's not being used for chicks. Well, I bent over to pick up the bowls and there was something underneath one! After recovering from the fright of my life, I picked up the bowl again and found a young chicken underneath! He was thin and weak, and soaking wet, probably from condensation. He had been under that bowl for probably 3 days. This is not a little chick - he filled the bowl! Anyway, he was a very lucky little fella. If this had been summer, he would never have survived. As it is, he's sneezing and weak, but is eating and drinking and seems otherwise okay. Lesson learned - never leave a bowl upside-down!!!
Oh my goodness! He's so lucky you found him in time! Poor thing, I think he deserves a treat and a big cuddle.
I'm happy to say Jack-in-a-bowl is looking like he/she will make a full recovery. He/she is very unhappy to be in a brooder and tomorrow will rejoin the flock, a bit skinny, but doing well otherwise. Tomorrow he will also get a proper bath. His feathers have dried since his ordeal, but they dried very stiff an gritty, so tomorrow he gets a spa day before rejoining his siblings!
Glad you found him - I had a similiar thing happen with a young duck. I kept counting & recounting at bed time but was one duck short, I finally turned over an upside down treat bowl and - there he was just sitting very quietly. Luckily mine had only been there a short time so no harm done - but if I hadn't counted he would have been there for a while. Hope yours continues to recover and get fat and sassy again.
I'm also transitioning a group of production reds that scare me all the time. I can't put down a water fountain without someone running under it, or have any kind of bowl without one of them trying to get under it. Poor little one! Hopefully he has a full recovery and somehow I bet he will run under the bowel again if he can fit!
Oh NO poor guy! Oh the stuff you run by with chicken keepin! So glad he is well!! AND THAT YOU TURNED OVER THAT BOWL!! If you think about an empty bowl...... how quick they can step on one side and flip it right over on themselves too!! BUT WHODA THUNK!!! Now why didnt someone tell me to NOT put eggs in my pockets???????? hmmmmmmmmmm
I had a roo get stuck under a box before it was dark out and i saw the box move so i poked it and it moved again i fliped over the box and there he was lol he was under it for maybe 10 min at most.
