New chicks

[Mortblanc]

I had an amazing development today, and quite a survival story!

At the one week mark one of my chicks disappeared from the caged back porch area where I was keeping mother and chicks.

I looked around the yard and found nothing so I gave the chick up for dead and went on.

Today, at the three week mark, I decided to pressure wash the pen area and to do that I needed to turn the hen and chicks out into the lawn for the first time. I opened the door and waited for mom and chicks to run down the steps.

As soon as the first chick hit the ground the lost baby ran from underneath the back porch and joined the group.

That baby chick had survived under the back porch for two weeks, alone!

We have had plenty of rain, and the mom and chicks have scratched lots of food through the floor boards, and the chick has had access to bugs and worms the others did not get. The lost chick is just as big and healthy as the others.

The only difference I have noted is that the stray is not as quick to answer mom's calls and wants to hunt for food on its own. It is more independent than the others.