4 AM Sunday Morning

I am sitting here in bed with a laptop that I must hold together and might burst into flames, self-destruct. So, here is three days of news or something.

The computer got too hot I hd to turn off the computer! So, now it is 2 pm on Sunday.

Friday, I decided to get chicks, so I went to the country to get them, five. They were tiny little puffs of yellow. I brought them home, put their box in the house AND forgot them for three hours. They were fine.

I gave them oats and water. I almost drowned one. These chicks make absolutely no noise. I ws going to keep them under the table for three weeks, but cannot plug in a lamp. So, they are in they same box with newspaper, food and water.

Saturday, I took one of the chicks out to show Thelma and Maggie May. I put it on the ground in  sunny place near them. THEN, it cheeped continuously. They both came closer. Maggie May...folks, the "a" is stuck and I will not correct or edit from here on out. Anywy, Thelma seemed to listen and stay back. Mggie May charged and even tried to get to the chick when I snatched it from the grass.

Sturday night, I took one chick and a red light to the pen. I put the chick to Thelma's left. She would not let me open her wing. In the day, she is more cooperative. She had that wing clenched to her side. The chick ran to her. In the meanwhile, Mggie May is trying to see and get to the chick because she can hear it cheeping.

I shut off the light and left.

About 4 am I went back to check on them. Maggie May ws stnding on the thin edge of the box where I cut a door. The chick was underneath her, sort of running around. Thelma was trying to look under her to see the chick. At least. they were not killing her.

I awoke just before noon today. Finally, I went out, expecting the worst. The chick and the two older hens were existing peacefully. When I went to the gate, the chick fled through the chain link. Then, she ran to the picnic table, then to bushes too thick for me to enter and probably have poison oak!

So, I figured a cat would get the baby. Not so. Not yet.

Just now, I heard the chick cheeping continually. I looked out. Maggie May and Thelma and the chick were on this side of the house. The older ones are panting in the shade. Baby is running across the rocks. Then, to the hens and beyond. The neighbor's fence is warped so there are dozens of places she can get through. She runs from me but not the hens.

Mggie May and Thelma seem not to have a maternal pin feather in their bodies. However, they are not hostile. That is good.

Okay, heard the chick and went out. The big girls were gone. I tried to catch the chick. No luck. They are just ignoring her, obviously!

I am going to put something around the inside of the pen so the chick cannot get through and escape. Three-day-old chicks can really run. And, this one can survive for almost 24 hours without me or shelter. sigh The outdoors is hotter than their box.

The other four go out in three weeks!

I know how I should have done this!