Help! 4 week old chick vanished

[maryhbrock]

This is such bad parenting. Today I received by mail a 4 week old chick. In order to get her used to the two other (7week old ) chicks, I put her in the dog crate we used as a brooder,with nice water and food, and the box she came in. Put the crate wire to wire with the run, left her for an hour and poof! She's gone. It's in the mid 90s here, so I'm desperately hoping she's asleep under a bush.

Will someone tell me what she might do? She doesn't know this is home yet. I'm parked in the yard listening for little peeps.

 

[keesmom]

Most likely the chick will stay hunkered down where she is. It's possible she may start putting up a fuss as it gets dark looking for flockmates but I wouldn't count on it. Start checking nearby bushes and shrubbery.

 

[Rooster Runner]

Put out some food in the middle of the lawn, some water too. She'll come when she's ready. 4 week olds are rather smart!

 

[Rooster Runner]

Preferably the same food and water she had before, so she recognizes it!

 

[maryhbrock]

Thank you, I will do that. Since the other two are hunkered down in the run, I just hoped the New Chick would do the same. I have helpers coming!

 

[Kale the Quail]

good luck!

 

[keesmom]

Thank you, I will do that. Since the other two are hunkered down in the run, I just hoped the New Chick would do the same. I have helpers coming!

Check any nearby hidey-holes too - under coop, decking, sheds, anything a tiny chick can squeeze into. A scared chick likely won't move until you are on top of her.

Good luck.

 

[maryhbrock]

Okay! I moved her bowls outside the run, and I'll out some around the yard. I just can't imagine she recognizes anything, it was only an hour! Will she naturally want to roost as it gets darker in several hours?

 

[Rooster Runner]

I personally think that 4 weeks is a little to young to roost. . . I do agree that she may start squawking for friends. Chickens are very social!

 

[AltonaAcres]

I just lost a button quail.............let's hope we both find our birds I set a live trap