Yep, it’s one of those days. A surprise day. When people invite me to things, I always say, “I’ll be there if I can.” People who haven’t known me long look at me kind of funny and I know they are thinking, “What? You think you’ll get a better offer?” It’s not that. My life is subject to change without warning. Actually, all of our lives are, but for anyone who lives with critters, life is especially spontaneous.
Thankfully my friend rescheduled the doctor’s appointment for which I am taking her into town, because when I went out to the barn to feed the chickens this morning, I found five, fluffy, little chicks running around peeping. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any sign of a mom. I scooped two up right away and put them in a plastic bin that was sitting nearby. I found another one trying to get out through a crack in the wall and put it in with its siblings. There were two more, but they found cracks they could fit through, so I wasn’t able to catch them.
The three chicks I’ve been able to capture so far.
I asked Mini, my former husband and current neighbor, to help me catch the other two. He seemed reluctant and said that he had seen the chicks a few days ago and had been putting food and water down for them. At that point their mom was around, but I haven’t seen her today, and that is not a good sign in a mother hen. He said I should leave them alone and let nature take its course.
I am all for leaving wild animals where you find them, and have always discouraged my children from keeping things in cages or jars, but that doesn’t work for week-old chickens. The three I caught are in the bin in my studio with a heat lamp, food and water. I will try to get the other two tonight. If someone had told me about them earlier, I could have put Momma in a pen with her babies where they would all be safe. There is “letting nature take its course,” and then there is laziness.
ladyofthegreenearth 
thirtydaysofjune said,
October 29, 2014 at 3:23 am
I agree. Letting nature take its course is fine for wild animals but chickens are domestic animals and if you have the equipment (heat lamp etc) to care for them why not? The ones you have caught are cute!
thirtydaysofjune said,
October 29, 2014 at 3:24 am
Are you missing a hen or are these rambling strangers?
ladyofthegreenearth said,
October 29, 2014 at 11:25 am
The mother was a little game bird who was so small and light that she flew over the fence. The other hens are big, heavy layers and they can’t make it over. Unfortunately, we found the hen yesterday evening, and something had killed her. We found three more chicks, though, and the six of them are in the tub with a heat lamp now. Our rooster is a bantam, so they are bound to be small birds when they grow up. My daughter has already started naming them. 🙂