Hello there,
I felt I needed to post a warning. I can't tell you how horrible it was to find. I have some Light Sussex bantam chicks about two and a half weeks old. They are indoors with an electric hen.
Today was such a lovely warm day and I wanted to clean their enclosure out so I decided to put them out on the lawn covered by the top of a pet cage with good thick wire less than half an inch apart. They had a small area for shade and food and water available.
I thought they were safe WRONG! A magpie came down and managed to drag the head of one chick through the bars and killed it. I came upon it as it was trying to drag the body through the cage bars. It flew away but the poor chick was dead.
![Sad :(](https://chat.allotment-garden.org/Smileys/green/sad.gif)
One other chick had been pecked around the head so it is in "intensive care" with gentian violet painted on the blooming area. I think it has lost an eye but otherwise seems to be recovering. I am worried as the chicks would peck at the blooming bits although I have tried to clean this up as best I can. I might try putting another chick with it tomorrow to keep it company though I will have to watch carefully for any pecking.
Please be aware, as I should have been, that predators can come from every direction, air as well as ground.
I feel really awfull and I would not like anyone else to experience this.