I think I got lucky yesterday...
The chicks are maybe a week and a half old, if that. I came home at about 7:30, already 50* or under. Checked in the coop like I always do, pick up the mother, look underneath...you know the drill.
Well sure enough...only 2 chicks. My first thought is they must have gone outside during the day and one got trampled or something. Of course I could find a flashlight worth a crud, so that took me 10 minutes alone.
Got in the pen, looked EVERYWHERE. Couldn't find evidence of the chick at all. I actually wondered if it mistook the other silkie sitting on eggs as mom and went near her. But then I check way up under the coop, and squished in the crevice of a log and the edge of the coop is the little chick, head first, seemingly shivering. I thought I might be too late but I lunged to grab it and the LOUD chirping indicated otherwise!
Of course, mom jumps out of the box so fast when she hears this I don't know if her feet touched the ground. She knew it was hers and even threw in a couple gratuitous pecks at my hand (which is pretty rare now that she's used to me) and then gathered up all 3.
Figuring that these chicks need bein about 85*+ temps, I don't suppose the chick could have been out there all that long and still be alive with as cold as it was. Either way, glad that I found it in time!
