Why do my chicks freeze and stop moving?

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Sphynxii said:
hahah LOL! 
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LTygress said:
Chicks will do this quite often when startled. As they get older, they will put a sound with it. My alpha rooster makes a short clucking sound when he sees something potentially dangerous, to alert the hens to it's presence. But aside from that sound, he is totally still. His head is raised, and he doesn't move a single muscle. He turns into a beautiful rooster statue.


The sound actually reminds me of an adult human saying a short "eh" sound over and over, like they would to a child who is about to wander into a dangerous area. Pretty interesting how we humans and animals are so much alike, that we sound the same for similar purposes!


But as long as they don't suddenly freeze up AND fall over like they're having a seizure, then it's perfectly normal.
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Your rooster is like my biggest chick. The second time they froze, my biggest chick made a noise and then they all froze. So it's like your rooster and I guess they do the same thing. Haha.
:)
 
I just happened to look out my patio door in time to see a hawk fly by, low & slow, just on the other side of my back wall. I then looked at the hen pen, there was only one hen visible & she was frozen. Two minutes later she was still frozen, I was unable to see the hawk but figured it must have still been there so I opened the door. The hawk was not there & as soon as I opened the door the hen broke her trance, the hens that I couldn't see reentered the pen from the chunnel that connects the pen with the chicken tractor. I had seen them do this as chicks but as older pullets they generally head to the coop.
 
My chicks do this. One (can't tell who) will make a distinct chirping sound and everyone gets quiet and doesn't move. Sometimes they'll startle and sometimes they'll freeze depending on what exactly prompted them to do it. I find they startle more when it is a loud sound, but if I walk into the bathroom (they're living in our bathtub/shower combo at the moment) without making too much noise, they'll make the sound until they realize it's me.
 
Mine chirp and freeze if an airplane flys by, or if they are startled by a loud noise. They seem to become less noise sensitive and more aircraft sensitive as they get older. If we have to approach the coop at night, we need to announce ourselves. Otherwise you hear that chirp followed by the abrupt cessation of activity until they figure out who is coming to visit. Pretty neat!
 
I believe it is a survival instinct. They are related to dinosaurs. I was watching a program about how now they believe T-Rex might have had feathers so you never know but when a hawk flies over the hawk will love for movement and if they are frozen the hawk will not zone in on them as prey.
Caroline
 

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