Oh JB, he sound hopeless!

.You are right Rita, that is a very good description of that jerk. HOPELESS! The chicks are running all around outside this morning and I am sure the hawks will make short work of them. I gave him all the tools he needed yesterday to catch them and he did not. Now, he is on my s*** list for sure.

You can't make him care. He doesn't care what happens and you tried to change that but you can't make him care. He is such a jerk.

This is the kind of time when I hope that karma and reincarnation are literally true. He would have 9 reincarnations scheduled as a helpless chick "cared for" only by a jerk like he is now. But ideally he would be fully conscious of his dilemma the whole time he was begging for water and trying to escape hawks.

I hope the chicks do find water and food until they are taken humanely by a hawk.
Then I almost hope that hawk tries to fly away with Mr. Stupid's toupee, whether or not he has a toupee.

There are some "Twilight Zone" episodes with poetic justice like that.

Funny that we call "no unnecessary cruelty" by the name "humane" when only humans do cruel things knowingly and when they have easy alternatives.
Animals tend to kill only for food or territory or instinctively while learning to hunt (like cats "playing with food").

But we call it "acting like an animal" when people do those kinds of unnecessarily cruel things.
It seems like slander against most animals!

Thanks @RickCorey I agree completely.

He gives a new meaning to stupid. The hawks are out in the daytime, so what does he do, he puts the chicks in at night and lets them out in the daytime. Safe from fox and other predatores at night but during the day, what the heck is he thinking. He could so easily make a nice run with a top on it so they would be safe, but no, that takes some thought and time. He is one lazy SOB in my book. Sorry. When I get angry I forget I am a lady at times. They are eating well because I am feeding them twice a day with corn bread and parrotlet food. They hang out under my big bushes during the day, but that does not help when they venture out into the field. I just can't watch. It makes me sick to my stomach honestly. I am such a softy when it comes to peeps and other birds.

You're doing the best that can be done, feeding them.

>> They hang out under my big bushes during the day

Maybe they are smart enough to survive, at least for a while. I was worried that they would starve or dehydrate slowly, but you're taking care of that. Probably being taken quickly by a hawk is their least cruel fate if the alternative is living with Mr. Bozo.

The surprising thing is that HE was smart enough to survive to adulthood. Maybe life was made too easy for him and he never had to grow a brain, or exercise the one he was born with. Maybe if he had had to hustle for food or evade predators a few times in his life, he would have learned a little compassion and maturity.

I saw birdbrain this afternoon...all dressed and clean...some farmer he is, I am dirty, just got off the mower and needed a shower, but he wanted to chat. He told me he found 20 more eggs in the chicken house and they are starting to hatch. He can't figure out how they got fertile with the cock dead for a month...I told him the hen obviously was waiting until she had laid the amount she usually lays before she sat them. He said that can't be that they would be fertile that long. Duh.....they need heat to hatch dumb dumb....and it takes what, 21 days or more to hatch a chicken egg? Oh my God, this man will send me to the loony bin if this keeps up. I again told him to put up a run with a shelter and a wire on top to keep them safe from the hawks and other critters who love little chicks, and he said he puts them in the coop at night. Again, Duh.
When he said he does not want more chicks I ask why he does not just destroy the 20 eggs. He said he hates to do that. Then i lost it. I told him well, you raise them so they can be eaten alive or killed by something else, but you will not throw unhatched eggs away. Then i told him I do not want to talk to him about them again. I am finished. Now he really pissed me off.

OH JB!

JB, you have done what you can, and if he is not taking his responsibility, then what ever happens happens. You can never control what others do, you can, however, control what you do. Telling him what he needs to do is obviously a waste of time. Now it's time to tell him what YOU are going to do. Like, if these chickens keep coming onto my property, I am going to__________. Fill in the blank, Claim them as mine and: Take them to the humane society, post them on craigs list and give them away. Call animal control and have them taken away. You get the idea. But what ever you tell him you're going to do, you must do it. He obviously isn't worried about it, and you have taken on all the responsibility and stress. That's just not healthy for you. Get this ended and move on for your own good. We're all rooting for you!

You are correct Tom...I said yesterday I am finished. And I am. I used to tell my kids, you will push me to a point of no return (raised 4) and I had three rules. Don't lie to me. Don't steal from me. Don't Piss me off.
This was when they were all teens and all going in different directions, you know what I mean. I always said if they get to #3 it will be the worst day of their lives. Would you believe they always were good kids, no drugs, all good students and very devilish but it was good honest fun most of the time. I have always lived up to what I say and they knew it. I am very outspoken and what you see is what you get and they knew if I said something I meant it and there was no alternative. I never gave them an option...I could not. My husband had been the District Attorney and the family was too well known for them to do stupid things that would reflect on his business so I had to be a very strict but fun loving Mom. We all had a great time and there were some rough spots like Halloween pranks that should not have happened, but we lived through it and no one got hurt...except they were grounded for a few weeks and never went out on Halloween again. So...when I say I am finished...I meant it. This subject is closed. Love you all. See you around ATP but no more chickens.

>> So...when I say I am finished...I meant it.

In that case I'll stop searching for hawk-attractant pheromones you could mail to him anonymously
in a tube labelled "free sample of hair lotion".

You're probably smart. I got into a tiff with a crazy next-door neighbor and now she makes trouble for me with the park manager.

I have only one neighbor, and since I own that house too, I can choose who lives there. Right now I have the nicest family one could hope for as renters. They are hispanic, and just a couple with one son, and number 2 on the way. They keep the place clean and the lawn mowed, and the rent paid. They are always helping me with things, and today she brought over a plate of chili rellenos so I didn't have to make dinner. (She knows I love them) They have become like family. I left the house sit empty for 4 years, and after spending $15,000. fixing everything that the previous renters recked after being evicted, I finally found these wonderful tennants. I know they will eventually want to buy a house of their own, I might just sell it to them to keep from having to deal with crappy renters.

Rick, you know two wrongs do not make a right! Believe me I am a scrapper and love to get even, but now that I am so old, it is just too much a waste of time. Everyday we wake up and take a breath, it is a gift. I learned to make the best of all those gifts and not clutter them up with hate, sadness or NO WINE. So, I usually do what I want to do everyday, keep my business going, help mow the tree fields (I love riding the tractor mower),enjoy my outside birds and my inside flock, dog and cat, propagate my plants and drink my wine. What more could I want? I am a very happy person when no one pulls my chains. And do not mess with my family or pets or I will really show you the person I used to be.

Jacquie, that does sound like wisdom.

Ok you farmer folk, help me out. I have two hens setting on eggs in my double-seater nest box. This morning I caught a brief glimpse of one little chickie, so I assume the hatching has begun. I put a shallow bowl of water in the nest box for both the hens and the chicks, which mom-hen was happy about (she has easy access to food and water but rarely leaves the nest). I assume the mom hens will somehow feed the chicks and I don't need to worry too much about that, right? Last week we shot the nasty rooster, so I don't need to worry about him. Is there anything else I need to do? Or just let the mom-hens take care of business? Thanks so much, and I'll post pics when I can. Fun!

I am no authority, but I do know from experience as a breeder of birds, poultry hens do not "regurgitate" the food for the chicks like backyard birds and parrots, etc. do. The chicks come out of the nest, and need some corn meal or chick mash to eat. The hen will take them out and scratch and pick and show them how to eat. Be very careful the small dish with water in it is not too big or deep or the chicks will drown. They are into everything when they start to walk around and it is best to have one of those water containers that only has the edge with water in when you have the chicks. The mash can be purchased at any agway, feed store or tractor supply. They just need to have a place to scratch and pick. I used to break up cornbread and they love that. The neighbor's chicks here now are range and they even eat wild bird seed. They love bugs and veggies too. I do think it is better to give them Mash to start with because it has all they need for good nutrition. If I remember, we also used to have some grit for our flock when we had chicks too. That is your own personal decision as to what you want to do with these chicks. Forgive me for butting in, but I wanted to share with you what we did when we had chicks.

No, you are not at all butting in - I need all the help I can get. This is all new to me. I'll mush up some of the hens' feed until I can get to the feed store for a bag of chick starter. I have a chick feeder but will need to get a chick waterer also (the one for the hens is too high). Would it make sense to build a bit of a protected area that the chicks can't immediately get out of but the hens can get into? Not sure if the hens would relocate though - I tried to move a hen who was setting on a clutch of eggs out in the yard, but she just ignored her eggs once I moved them (and her). My tendency is to just let nature take its course with minimal interference, but I'm certainly open to tips and tricks.

Here's chickee #1 with its two moms:

Aww, so cute. And the moms are very pretty birds.

The chicks don't eat or drink much for the first few days. The are obsorbing the yolk which keeps the fine for a while. I think once they are done hatching it's best not to have them in with the other chickens. It's also best to use a medicated chick starter to keep them safe from diseases. It sure is a cutie!