Before I begin, please let me know if I should really move this post to the diseases section.
Last night one of our 11 week old girls, Johnny, got stuck in the rain. It was nearing dusk, the other 3 girls had gone into the coop and it was almost time for them to head up the ramp. Not for the first time, Johnny couldn't find the door. She's not the sharpest tool in the shed. Well, they all left her standing out in the rain until we saw her standing there looking sad indeed. My dh went out and put her in the coop, but 10 minutes later the others had gone to bed and she was still below. He went out and she let him pick her up (unusual, no fussing)and put her in the upper coop. I went to check on her 10 minutes later and she was all snuggled up between the others, she was quiet, not upset, and she was dry.
This morning my dh reports that when he opened the pop door she was reluctant to come down the ramp, practically fell off it when she did, did not immediately head for food like the others but just stood there. He said she looked like she'd had "too much rum". (that's what we get for naming her after Johnny Depp, aka Jack Sparrow)
For background info, she is a red star, 11 weeks old, never been sick. They have been living outside in the coop for 3 1/2 weeks. The coop has a sleeping area, fully enclosed, as well as a larger area that is on bare soft ground, wire for the walls and a solid roof to keep out the rain. (we are in Washington state) Every day I leave open the door so they can go into our backyard at will. They spend most of the day nibbling grass, weeds and whatever else they can find. I have seen them take bites out of some plants I suspect are foxglove, but they move on so frequently that they never eat more than a bite or two of any one thing at a time. They don't mind the rain, if it is a light rain they keep foraging, if it starts to get heavy they usually go to the covered enclosure.
Thank you for any help and advice you can give.
Last night one of our 11 week old girls, Johnny, got stuck in the rain. It was nearing dusk, the other 3 girls had gone into the coop and it was almost time for them to head up the ramp. Not for the first time, Johnny couldn't find the door. She's not the sharpest tool in the shed. Well, they all left her standing out in the rain until we saw her standing there looking sad indeed. My dh went out and put her in the coop, but 10 minutes later the others had gone to bed and she was still below. He went out and she let him pick her up (unusual, no fussing)and put her in the upper coop. I went to check on her 10 minutes later and she was all snuggled up between the others, she was quiet, not upset, and she was dry.
This morning my dh reports that when he opened the pop door she was reluctant to come down the ramp, practically fell off it when she did, did not immediately head for food like the others but just stood there. He said she looked like she'd had "too much rum". (that's what we get for naming her after Johnny Depp, aka Jack Sparrow)
For background info, she is a red star, 11 weeks old, never been sick. They have been living outside in the coop for 3 1/2 weeks. The coop has a sleeping area, fully enclosed, as well as a larger area that is on bare soft ground, wire for the walls and a solid roof to keep out the rain. (we are in Washington state) Every day I leave open the door so they can go into our backyard at will. They spend most of the day nibbling grass, weeds and whatever else they can find. I have seen them take bites out of some plants I suspect are foxglove, but they move on so frequently that they never eat more than a bite or two of any one thing at a time. They don't mind the rain, if it is a light rain they keep foraging, if it starts to get heavy they usually go to the covered enclosure.
Thank you for any help and advice you can give.
