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The story of a tiny rescued baby chick named Fox 4 whose telling explains why you should never let your baby chick sleep with you. In the early days as Chicken Heaven On Earth rescue sanctuary was just beginning Fox 4 the baby chick was one of the first baby chicks hatched here and from his short life, I learned unconditional love, a deep sense of responsibility, and an internal drive to learn every thing I possibly could about chickens so I could share it with other people so they would never have to suffer the heartbreaks I did when I first started raising chickens of my own.
The Legend of our Fox 4 Chicken
Fox 4 one week old
Creamy (my first white leghorn hen) would go broody often and loved to hatch eggs and yet she had no maternal instincts. She sat on the nest like a devoted mother but when the chicks were born she tried to kill two of them.
One of the chicks that I rescued, from his mother hens murderous attacks had a perfect 4 on it's head.
He was very very tiny, smaller than any chick I had seen! I guessed that she was trying to kill him because he was so small.
ONE DAY OLD
I initially named him Gizmo 4 but ended up calling Fox 4. Turns out this little chick was loaded with personality. I tried to feed him chick starter feed but he would not eat it. I was worried this little chick would starve to death. I finally got him too eat baby food..right from my mouth to his beak that was the only way he would eat it. He like the rice cereal the best,When he got full he would look at me and say, "Peep, peep, peep".
3 DAYS OLD
I taught him to hop from one of my fingers to the next and he would do it as long as I kept saying, "Climb the ladder, smart baby!" If I stopped playing to soon he would peck at my fingers to play. When I told him to give mama a kiss he would peck at my lips. If I told him to play dead and said,"Bang! Bang!", (loudly) he would stand stock still, I laid him on his back and put my hand over his eyes and said, "Ooohh! My poor baby is dead!" Lil Fox 4 would lay there with his eyes closed and legs in the air..if I didn't say something about his trick fast enough he would peek at me with one eye! Then I would say loudly," Him not dead! My baby not dead!" and he would jump up excitedly,'Peep, peep, peep" He was adorable! He was very attached to me and always wanted to be with me, so, I started carrying him around in my shirt pocket. He would poke his little head out and watch everything that was going on. If I tried to put him in his cage he would peep the saddest sounds crying for me. Of course, I would pick him up and put him in my pocket and out popped his head! "Peep,peep,peep" He was happy as could be!
4 Days OLD
When I was doing dishes, I would put him in a large glass so that he could watch me as I could not bear to hear him crying. One day he jumped out of the class and right into my dishwater which had bleach in it!! I was terrified knowing that a baby chick will die quickly if they get wet or cold! I snatched him out of the water, quickly I rinsed him off with warm water and dried him with a paper towel. I used my blow dryer to dry him set on low speed being extra careful not to burn or cook him. He was very weak for the rest of the day. By the next day he had made a full recovery and was back to his old antics and tricks. Sweet. He still cried out for me when I went to do dishes so the next time I put him in a small fish bowl with a screen taped to the top of it. He sit there and watched me happy as could be.
6 Days OLD
By the time he was 6 days old I could go nowhere without him. I pushed him down the street in a baby stroller. People would stop me to look at him. He would do his tricks and loved the attention! I even took him to the small town grocery near our house! Everyone adored him! We were in the process of trying to get him put on T.V. when another catastrophe happened!
8 DAYS OLD
At night he would peep and cry for me..I felt sorry for him and brought to bed with me. Winter was coming fast and at night it gets very cold. I made a cushion for him out of an old bathrobe so I would not roll over on him but he would keep hopping over it to snuggle up to my neck and make a nest in my hair after I fell asleep. I loved him so much. He would get lost in the blankets sometime's at night or under my pillow. I would wake when I heard him and make my husband get up to help me look for him. We would find him and then put him back in his bathrobe nest. Most chickens will not move in the dark..but Fox 4 was different and special. When he had to go potty he would move away from me and get lost.
10 DAYS OLD
Fox 4 loved to play peek-a-boo! A new trick, I was excited. I would tuck him into my hand and hide his face. When I said peek-a-boo, he would pop his little head out and say, "Peep,peep, peep!", I would proceed to tell him what a smart baby he was. Everyone could not believe that he was so smart and they loved his tricks and Fox 4 was happy to do them over and over again. When someone approached his stroller he would jump up in my hand and start doing his tricks without me prompting him first. I was amazed. I did not know that chickens were so smart and affectionate.
11 DAYS OLD
We went to bed just like always I awoke and Fox 4 who was usually snuggled in my hair was no where to be found. I had gotten in the habit of waking every other hour to check on him. It was very cold so I got up and started the heater. When I came back to bed. I noticed that Fox 4 was not calling for me like he usually does. I could not see him so, I figured he was cold and hiding in the blankets so I started to look for him. I woke my husband up, to help me look. I peeped and peeped and called his name but he did not peep back like usual...he was nowhere to be found. I started to panic! The frantic search continued. I lifted my pillow up and there he was! Flat and Lifeless! Still warm though. I burst into tears and my husband quickly grabbed him up and tried to do CPR on him but our little Fox 4 was gone! When I was able to let him go..Rooster John put him in a medicine bottle..he was that small, and buried him under our crepe myrtle tree in the front yard. We put a marker and flowers there. I sat there until the sun come up crying for my baby. I suddenly realized I knew nothing about taking care of chickens. I determined that I would learn everything I could and from that day forward everything has changed. I learned a valuable lesson...never let your baby chick sleep with you no matter how much they cry for you. Get up and calm them but do not give in. I learned that when a baby chick is peeping and won't stop there is something wrong, either they are not warm enough, their bedding is wet, they have some type of health issue, or have gotten themselves tangled up somewhere. Later I learned that keeping a brooder heating plate would keep baby chicks quiet even if there is only one.
One of the chicks that I rescued, from his mother hens murderous attacks had a perfect 4 on it's head.
He was very very tiny, smaller than any chick I had seen! I guessed that she was trying to kill him because he was so small.
ONE DAY OLD
I initially named him Gizmo 4 but ended up calling Fox 4. Turns out this little chick was loaded with personality. I tried to feed him chick starter feed but he would not eat it. I was worried this little chick would starve to death. I finally got him too eat baby food..right from my mouth to his beak that was the only way he would eat it. He like the rice cereal the best,When he got full he would look at me and say, "Peep, peep, peep".
3 DAYS OLD
I taught him to hop from one of my fingers to the next and he would do it as long as I kept saying, "Climb the ladder, smart baby!" If I stopped playing to soon he would peck at my fingers to play. When I told him to give mama a kiss he would peck at my lips. If I told him to play dead and said,"Bang! Bang!", (loudly) he would stand stock still, I laid him on his back and put my hand over his eyes and said, "Ooohh! My poor baby is dead!" Lil Fox 4 would lay there with his eyes closed and legs in the air..if I didn't say something about his trick fast enough he would peek at me with one eye! Then I would say loudly," Him not dead! My baby not dead!" and he would jump up excitedly,'Peep, peep, peep" He was adorable! He was very attached to me and always wanted to be with me, so, I started carrying him around in my shirt pocket. He would poke his little head out and watch everything that was going on. If I tried to put him in his cage he would peep the saddest sounds crying for me. Of course, I would pick him up and put him in my pocket and out popped his head! "Peep,peep,peep" He was happy as could be!
4 Days OLD
When I was doing dishes, I would put him in a large glass so that he could watch me as I could not bear to hear him crying. One day he jumped out of the class and right into my dishwater which had bleach in it!! I was terrified knowing that a baby chick will die quickly if they get wet or cold! I snatched him out of the water, quickly I rinsed him off with warm water and dried him with a paper towel. I used my blow dryer to dry him set on low speed being extra careful not to burn or cook him. He was very weak for the rest of the day. By the next day he had made a full recovery and was back to his old antics and tricks. Sweet. He still cried out for me when I went to do dishes so the next time I put him in a small fish bowl with a screen taped to the top of it. He sit there and watched me happy as could be.
6 Days OLD
By the time he was 6 days old I could go nowhere without him. I pushed him down the street in a baby stroller. People would stop me to look at him. He would do his tricks and loved the attention! I even took him to the small town grocery near our house! Everyone adored him! We were in the process of trying to get him put on T.V. when another catastrophe happened!
8 DAYS OLD
At night he would peep and cry for me..I felt sorry for him and brought to bed with me. Winter was coming fast and at night it gets very cold. I made a cushion for him out of an old bathrobe so I would not roll over on him but he would keep hopping over it to snuggle up to my neck and make a nest in my hair after I fell asleep. I loved him so much. He would get lost in the blankets sometime's at night or under my pillow. I would wake when I heard him and make my husband get up to help me look for him. We would find him and then put him back in his bathrobe nest. Most chickens will not move in the dark..but Fox 4 was different and special. When he had to go potty he would move away from me and get lost.
10 DAYS OLD
Fox 4 loved to play peek-a-boo! A new trick, I was excited. I would tuck him into my hand and hide his face. When I said peek-a-boo, he would pop his little head out and say, "Peep,peep, peep!", I would proceed to tell him what a smart baby he was. Everyone could not believe that he was so smart and they loved his tricks and Fox 4 was happy to do them over and over again. When someone approached his stroller he would jump up in my hand and start doing his tricks without me prompting him first. I was amazed. I did not know that chickens were so smart and affectionate.
11 DAYS OLD
We went to bed just like always I awoke and Fox 4 who was usually snuggled in my hair was no where to be found. I had gotten in the habit of waking every other hour to check on him. It was very cold so I got up and started the heater. When I came back to bed. I noticed that Fox 4 was not calling for me like he usually does. I could not see him so, I figured he was cold and hiding in the blankets so I started to look for him. I woke my husband up, to help me look. I peeped and peeped and called his name but he did not peep back like usual...he was nowhere to be found. I started to panic! The frantic search continued. I lifted my pillow up and there he was! Flat and Lifeless! Still warm though. I burst into tears and my husband quickly grabbed him up and tried to do CPR on him but our little Fox 4 was gone! When I was able to let him go..Rooster John put him in a medicine bottle..he was that small, and buried him under our crepe myrtle tree in the front yard. We put a marker and flowers there. I sat there until the sun come up crying for my baby. I suddenly realized I knew nothing about taking care of chickens. I determined that I would learn everything I could and from that day forward everything has changed. I learned a valuable lesson...never let your baby chick sleep with you no matter how much they cry for you. Get up and calm them but do not give in. I learned that when a baby chick is peeping and won't stop there is something wrong, either they are not warm enough, their bedding is wet, they have some type of health issue, or have gotten themselves tangled up somewhere. Later I learned that keeping a brooder heating plate would keep baby chicks quiet even if there is only one.
