One died during the night on Sunday, and one died sometime during the day today.
The one I found Monday morning was a complete surprise. She was generally the same size as the rest, and her wing and tail feathers were starting to grow in. There was no sign of any physical trauma, and she was warm from the heat lamp when I found her. I did move the flock of them into the milk shed on Sunday afternoon, so I guess I'm just going to chalk it up to stress.
The one that died today...I sort of knew it was coming, although I was hopeful that she was perking up over the past few days. She hadn't grown much at all since they arrived last week, and was always falling asleep on her feet. Though she did eat and drink, it wasn't nearly as much as the others. She also had a case of "pasty butt" which is a pretty clear sign that something's not right inside.
Poor little chickens.
The rest of them seem like they're going to be fine. They definitely don't look like they did a week ago! They are easily double the size and they're no longer just balls of fuzz. They're starting to practice their flying moves, and whenever I have the door to the crate open for any length of time, one or two of them are pretty sure they can make a break for it. The picture below is from Saturday - they're way different even from then!
Now, the third loss?
Our old house! We officially no longer own it. I hope the new family is happy there!
