Visitation

Today, the small leg bands arrived. After chores and dinner, Wyatt went to begin catching the outside chicks while I worked in the greenhouse. They proved to be quite tough to catch.

Before I know it, Wyatt was coming toward me with a tiny baby in one hand. I reminded him they were tiny, and we should focus on the larger chicks first. I leaned over to inspect the little baby, maybe 2 days old. She must be from the doe barn Mama, but one eye was closed. I asked why her eye was closed, and Wyatt said she had gotten into the big pen, where a Buff Orpington had gone after her.

I sent Wyatt in to dip her beak in water, and see if she could adjust with the others in the trough. A few moments later, as I was trading watering cans, he returned, baby in hand.

“Did she drink?”

“She gulped it down.”

“Then why didn’t you let her recover in the trough?”

“They were ganging up on her.” He sat down and cuddled the little baby and talked to her softly. Anybody that saw this sweet, protective side of Wyatt would never guess he was such a tough lineman.

I sent him back in to reinstall the divider and put one or both of the little babies who came in injured the other night with her, out of the way of the bigger chicks. On my way through the house, I checked in on the injured baby. By that time, any friends who had been with her had switch over to where the bigger chicks were.

Each time I passed by the trough, I looked in. One, both, or none of the other little ones have popped in, moving back and forth from across the divider. There is just enough space for the little one to join the others if she wants, and for the larger ones to get used to her. Maybe the chance at visitation and familiarity will let them all settle in. I have to keep trusting them, but protecting the little one.

Oh, we did finally catch some of the older chicks- the ones from fair. But when we put the first leg band on, and went to take her photo for the project, the leg band fell right off. Oops, time to reorder.

These are the three littlest this mornng in the trough.  The one who came in last night is on the right.  Silly Doyle is on the lef, and the one we were so worried about over the weekend is in the center.

A little update, she was holding her own last night as I was up late finishing grading. This morning she is a little slower than the rest, but getting along fine in the trough. Looks like this might even work out.