And I Got This Call...

a voice said "there is an adolescent chicken hanging out on the play equipment at Rec Park, can you rescue it"?

I was standing in the veterinarian's office with Obie who has an infection on this tail.  Visiting the vet today was not my plan and I certainly had no intention of chasing a chicken around in a public park.  But I said I would go see.

After our vet loaded us up with antibiotics and a satellite dish collar, I loaded Obie into the van and we went on an adventure.

Turns out this little chick was not an adolescent by any stretch.  More like two weeks old- same age as my chicks.  The people at the park said he was on the play set and slid down the slide.  And now, I have are 9 chicks.

I brought the chick home and started with it in a separate box with water and feed.  Obviously starving and thirsty, it drank and ate everything it could and feel asleep.  Then the music started: peep peep peep.  Then a return from the other box: peep peep peep.  Pretty soon it was clear that both boxes knew about each other.  Then, as if to explain how this chick was on the run, it jumped up onto the edge of the box and hopped over onto the top of the other box.  I lifted the lid and let this little one join the crowd.

So far, so good.  I have seen some minimal pecking.  The Buckeye chicks are very concerned about tall dark and beautiful but are getting used to it.  This new chick also seems to have a solid set of self-defense skills.  They all seem to be settling in nicely.

I sent several emails to the various lists of people around and I am hopeful someone will come forward to reclaim their chick.  If not, well, I'll be waiting to see if we have a hen or a roo.