Is its family nearby?

Ducklings, goslings, killdeer, quail and turkey chicks walk within hours of hatching and follow a parent everywhere. There is no nest to put them back in. What matters is whether this one has lost its family.

• An adult is nearby, calling or watchingOr the chick crouched still when you came close. Hiding is what it is meant to do.
• Alone and peeping, with no adult in sightLoud, constant peeping is a chick calling for a family it has lost.
• Stuck in a pool, drain, window well or walled yardIt can get in but not out, and the family is often waiting nearby.
• A cat or dog had it, or there is visible bloodTime-critical regardless of age.