h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A fellow BYCer a couple of hours away offered me some companions for my lonely chick, so we made a day of it, which I already wrote about on the 25th (fortunately, I realized *before* I retold the story)

But I *can* continue the story...

When we got home, it was after dark and cold (for here, anyway--it's rather shocking when we get frost, and there's been frost on the grass the last few mornings) so Tom thought we should have the chicks in the house overnight, after their car trip. (They'd been in ambient indoor temps for a couple of days, so they didn't need supplemental heat indoors). When I went out yesterday morning to feed everyone, the lonely chick had gotten himself stuck while we were gone (I've decided all the chicks that didn't make it were boys, just 'cause)... That area is now blocked off.

I put the new chicks out during a lull in dinner prep (I really wish I'd thought to put them out before the post-turkey-in-the-oven nap attempt) and made sure to show them the location of the feed, water, and heat. I didn't have a chance to go back outside until almost 10pm! I'm glad I went out to check, though--the little fuzz-heads were snuggled together under the feeder, not under the heating pad. They were still fairly toasty, even their feet, but since they're not fully feathered yet (not far from it, though), and it was supposed to drop to near freezing, I stuffed them under the heating pad. Went out this morning around 7 to check on things, and they were snuggled out in the middle of the pen. So they weathered their first night not in a human house just fine. When I went out to check for eggs (well, egg--I've only been getting 5 or 6 eggs a week for a couple months now...) the chicks were under the heat, so I thought all was great--an hour later, between dusk and dark, when I went out to close up the coop, the silly little things were over under the feeder again--I chucked them under the heat, and it was dark enough that I know they're not going to budge. I may end up checking on their location every night until they are fully feathered instead of being half feathers/half fuzz--fuzz doesn't keep the heat in as well as a layer of stiff(er) feathers over fuzz does, since feathers are very wind resistant.

Frost that's what we get, rain on the menu today cats always look for a warm lap on wet days.

Enjoying your NaJoPoMo its is a good read it keep you going