I thought I had a tragedy!

The first thing I do when I get home is check my chicks. I have three brooders. 2 - 44 gallon rubbermaid tubs and 1- 35 gallon tub.

I check water, food and stir the bedding. So I check my smaller tub quickly when I come in....it's in the laundry room by itself......ok, good water and food. Go into the den and check the two big brooders, first one ok, second one needs water......and wait!.....how many chicks are in there.....

One, two, three.....oh no! Only SEVEN chicks! There should be EIGHT!

I looked at my chicken wire lid and realize this morning on my way out, I didn't put it on correctly when I fed and watered and there was a gap on one side. I just KNEW the cat suddenly decided that 4 week old chicks were a good cat snack.

So I started looking for feathers. Bathrooms? No feathers. Living room? No feathers. Bedrooms? No feathers. Kitchen? No feathers......I've never seen my cats kill a bird with leaving feathers EVERY where.

So I start looking behind furniture, under stuff, in corners and still no missing chick. So I go back and count again. No, still only seven in that tub (Arucanas, man they look like hawks) 8 cochins in the other big tub and.....wait, why are there SEVEN chicks in the small brooder????? In the laundry room, not the den. So I count again.....2 silkies, one polish, one RIR, two....no, three! Arucanas! Yippe! I found her.

But how did she get out of her brooder and into another room and into the small brooder? Yes there is small gap in the lid of the small brooder, but how would she have found it?

Hmmmmm.........

She got put back into her big tub and the lid was secured down well. :|