Trying to help the straggler...

[ErinInTx]

One of "my" free range hens has chicks and one keeps getting separated from the group. Both Monday and Tuesday evenings he was hiding under a bunch of field equipment in the field while his mo man dcoop-mates were bedding down in the coop a good 200 yards away. I'm surprised he survived the first night, but I'm hoping he'll be around when I get home from work this afternoon. What can I do to help this guy find better accommodations (with less risk of coons, cats, hawks and snakes)? should I try to make him a little condo of his own? try to shoo him in the direction of the coop (unsuccessful so far)? try to shoo his mom in his direction so she can get him? I wouldnt mind keeping as a pet if I could catch him, but the little booger is fast!

PS: Let me explain the "my".... I live on 4 acres and the neighbors on either side of me are brothers, each with their own 4 acres. The brothers have goats and cows fenced in across the length of all 3 lots. The chickens are free range and go from house to house and yard to yard. The owners know and dont mind that I feed and spoil the animals. They've told me that I can take any of the chickens I want except for the rooster. If I 'adopted' this lonesome chick I would likely reintroduce it to the others once it's big enough to survive.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would think anything you try to do will just stress it out, it might not be feeling well, there's a reason it staying by itself, sometimes it best to just watch, removing it won't in the long run help it out unless you plan to keep it.

 

[azygous]

Interesting situation you have there. By now, it's likely the chick has disappeared, either to a predator or back to the brood hen.

It will be nearly impossible to catch the chick unless you set some sort of trap consisting of a corral to corner it with food and water inside to attract it in. I would cut out one side of a cardboard box and lay the flap down, stay a few feet away and when the chick goes for the food and water and is in the box, quickly lift the flap back up to trap the chick, or you can tie a string to the flap and pull it up from the opposite side of the box as you're standing there.

Then you'll have to resign yourself to constant chirping and the chick's need for attention until it gets to be a couple months old and can survive on its own, but reintegrating into the flock won't be any picnic.

If it were me, by the time I got this far in reading this, I would say, "To h&ll with it", and just leave nature to handle things.