I'm feeling like a bad chicken mommy today. Last night we got home rather late and I wasn't feeling well, so I sort of rushed through the process of locking up the chickens and didn't notice the young NN pullet who'd opted to hang out on the porch of the cabin all alone instead of tucking herself in her coop with her friends. Our weather was cold and windy all night...gusts around 60 knots...and rainy. I awoke early to find my little girl limping on one leg and shivering right outside my bedroom slider. There was a cut on her foot that I suspect may have come from an a rat or something, so I treated it with Blue-Kote and isolated her all day and put her under a heat lamp to warm her up. She finally began eating tonight and was standing on her leg some...and appeared quite distressed as her friends went to their coop...so I put her in there with them. I'm really hoping she recovers okay and that I made the right decision about returning her to the coop. I don't think I'll be resting well tonight because I'm a worrier. I just want to awaken tomorrow to find her back to normal.
I've done something similar I used to let them free range. One night I stopped by to visit my dad as I do and got busy doing things their house well it was dark when I got back. Not all went into coop. Couldn't leave door open for those that did go back in. Worried all night. They were safe
