Strange Chicks and Sun Light

I am very new to chickens.  Mine are about 7 weeks old, but I've noticed the same thing.  When they were in the brooder, I would let them out and they would fly on top of the lid under the heat lamp and would start laying on their side.  When I first put them in the coop, they would lay on their sides whenever they were in the spot where the sun shone through the windows.  Then, when they first were let out in the run, they laid on their sides in the sun.  Maybe some of the more experienced chicken people can explain what it is they are doing.  It kind of freaked me out the first few times they did it.

From your description they are sunbathing.  They lie on one side and lift the upper wing.  First time I saw it I thought the chicken was sick.  Nope, just enjoying the sunshine.

I'm glad you posted this question.  My first floclk of 6 chix are five weeks old.  They had their first field trip outside today and had a blast.  They had so much fun hunting and eating earwigs and just scratching around.  I let them free run for a few hours (I swear, watching them never gets old...)  One of the chicks (Buff Orp) did exactly what you both described, though.  She came around the corner of the coop and as soon as she got exposed to the sunlight, she laid down on her side, stuck her legs out and lifted her wing.  She stayed there very still for a few minutes, then popped up and started scratching around like the others.  It was like she was in a trance.  It only happened once and she has been acting normal since. 

Is there a chicken expert out there who can explain this?

Imagine that you went around a corner and saw a beautiful beach with snow white sand and turqoise water.  You would lie down and enjoy too!

ya chicks will do sunbathing (as described) and also take dust baths so dont be surprised when they start throwing dirt on themselfs and such

ya chicks will do sunbathing (as described) and also take dust baths so dont be surprised when they start throwing dirt on themselfs and such

I thought this too at first and I freaked out!  Only certain of my hens do it and now I'm used to it.

Mine do it too.  It's so funny to watch.  They really just fall over suddenly and it looks as if they're dead.  Then just as quickly, they'll get up and start pecking around.

Silly chickens!