Runaway!!!

[leggomyegg0]

where to begin... well, lets see... I hatched out some Marans chicks and a few days later, (actually about 5 days early) one of my pheasant eggs hatched... thinking my other pheasants would be hatching too, I left the little guy in the incubater for another couple days... Nope, no peeping looked like he'd be the only one... wrote the pheasant forum, who advised that he could be raised alone, but would probably be happier in with chicks if no other companions could be found... so I put him in with the chicks who were in a rabbit hutch in my kitchen and he seemed to do OK for a couple of days despite the fact that the chicks were bigger, he was faster and there was plenty of room to move around.. after another 2 days, well.... as the title says, I had a runaway on my hands... finally a second pheasant hatched, but my guy in with the chickens... GONE... I looked and looked for him... no peeping, nothing! I figured he'd found some tight place, gotten cold and passed away or made a kitty a tasty snack.. the following morning I hear peeping but it was another pheasant hatching! 2 days pass no new hatches

so back to a lone pheasant chick... this afternoon I hear peep peep, check my incubator, nope looks like that is it, so where is the peep coming from? Did my other little guy get loose? Nope... so where and how???? Well my little wanderer evidently found his way under my fridge where the compressor kept him warm... when he got good and thirsty he began peeping again. We start looking under there, can't find him... decide it's time to pull it out... NOPE no chick... Listening, looking... he's INSIDE the workings of the fridge... so off comes the back and the chase is on... with a wooden spoon my husband coaxes him out... and he's off and running! My daughter catches him... we wrap the hutch with foil and put the little rascal back... this poultry raising sure is an adventure!

Claudette

 

[NovaAman]

OH MY! Thats funny.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

I don't have any pheasants, but this batch of 21 chicks (barred rocks, speckled sussex & buff orps) hatched on July 18th are the best escape artists I have ever had to deal with. I never managed to stop their escapes from the brooder when they were inside and now that they are outside in a covered pasture pen inside electric poultry netting, I spend a good part of the day rounding them up and trying to figure a way to keep them inside. I was amazed at the tiny openings they could get through, including flying up and squeezing through the tiny gap between the one-inch chicken wire and the tarp cover, which is cord tied to the chicken wire at every grommet hole. I spent nearly an hour securing Fort Knox last night to make sure they couldn't get out because of the rain and wind from Hurricane Irene coming our way. I go out early this morning to feed and water and there was six of them sitting on top of the pen. It started to pour down rain and by the time I caught them and got them under cover I was soaking wet!!!

What a bunch of brats!