All seven of my tiny beautiful baby quail were very lively today, chasing around and eating and drinking well, so I thought I could stop sprinkling chick crumb over the floor of the brooder, and give them a proper chick feeder instead to keep things cleaner. I cleaned up the floor, emptied and refilled the drinker, and filled the little chick feeder, which holds about half a kilo, (round about a pound in old money I suppose.) I put it in the brooder and watched to see one or two of them exploring it. So I thought I'd do a bit more video as the brooder looked so nice and clean and tidy. Went and got my phone and took two stretches of video - a bit hard to see round the heat lamp, and when I replayed it I realised I only had 6 of the 7 chicks in shot. One of the little yellow ones seemed to be missing. Had a look in the brooder and I COULDN'T SEE HIM ANYWHERE!!!
Impossible - they can't fly or get out yet, so how could he go missing within 5 minutes in a brooder about 18ins by 24 ins? I couldn't believe my eyes - he'd been there a few minutes before, because after I changed the J-cloth covers on the floor I'd counted them, to make sure nobody had got folded in underneath. Then I remembered Sherlock Holmes - if you have eliminated all the possible explanations, the impossible must be considered.
I lifted the newly-loaded feeder. To my horror, there was a tiny yellow body underneath, legs and wings splayed out, squashed flat, like roadkill.
Aghast, I just looked at him. Then he staggered to his tiny feet, toddled over under the heat lamp, and sat panting, getting his breath back. A few minutes later he got up and carried on with his day, running around apparently unaffected by his terrible experience.
He must have been under there for a good 5 minutes. Each chick probably weighs less than 15-20 grams ATM, so the loaded feeder is about 300 times heavier than that. I'm glad I decided to take that video, otherwise it might have been quite a long time before I missed him, poor little chap.
As I said, I shan't make that mistake again! It reminded me of when I used to take my Primary school class out on trips, and spent all day counting them. I only ever lost one (Shane Crummock, where are you now?) and he got brought back safely to the fold by a nice lady in Selborne.
Impossible - they can't fly or get out yet, so how could he go missing within 5 minutes in a brooder about 18ins by 24 ins? I couldn't believe my eyes - he'd been there a few minutes before, because after I changed the J-cloth covers on the floor I'd counted them, to make sure nobody had got folded in underneath. Then I remembered Sherlock Holmes - if you have eliminated all the possible explanations, the impossible must be considered.
I lifted the newly-loaded feeder. To my horror, there was a tiny yellow body underneath, legs and wings splayed out, squashed flat, like roadkill.
Aghast, I just looked at him. Then he staggered to his tiny feet, toddled over under the heat lamp, and sat panting, getting his breath back. A few minutes later he got up and carried on with his day, running around apparently unaffected by his terrible experience.
He must have been under there for a good 5 minutes. Each chick probably weighs less than 15-20 grams ATM, so the loaded feeder is about 300 times heavier than that. I'm glad I decided to take that video, otherwise it might have been quite a long time before I missed him, poor little chap.
As I said, I shan't make that mistake again! It reminded me of when I used to take my Primary school class out on trips, and spent all day counting them. I only ever lost one (Shane Crummock, where are you now?) and he got brought back safely to the fold by a nice lady in Selborne.
:lol: 
