Do chicks lie down (really!) to sleep??

[merlotmudpies]

I guess I'm official. Our two new RIR chicks were splayed out across their box sleeping and my 7yo and I nearly had a heart attack. LOL BYC we LOVE you for making is feel better about our girls. (We hope they're girls)

 

[donrae]

I guess I'm official. Our two new RIR chicks were splayed out across their box sleeping and my 7yo and I nearly had a heart attack. LOL BYC we LOVE you for making is feel better about our girls. (We hope they're girls)

Wait until you see them sunbathing or dust bathing for the first time! You'll swear they're truly injured or having a seizure

 

[Stewarts]

Yes they lay down and spread right out. Its normal. A turkey chick does the same except it will stretch out its neck the full length and both chicks and turkey chicks will spread out their wings and legs. The first time I came upon one of my chick having a straw bath, I screamed for my hubby, fully convinced she was in her death throws... Ha! Silly me, I startled the chick so much she jumped right up and dashed to the other side of the brooder! She was perfectly fine and hubby thought I was nuts.

 

[memphis]

Perfectly normal. Remember showing my mother pictures & having a hard time convincing her they weren't dead! Of course their first dust bath or sun bathing will be your next heart attack! And the first time I heard an egg song I thought something was out there killing one of them. Hopefully you'll have a few wonderful heart stopping moments to come! And there is nothing like finding that first egg! I was so excited you'd have thought I laid it myself!!

 

[Stewarts]

Memphis, you are TOO funny!

 

[merlotmudpies]

Hahaha. Love all these stories. Well my son The Chicken Whisperer has been holding them. They cuddle right up on his neck under his chin and just snooze until they're leaning against him. It is just the cutest thing ever.

 

[PrairieChickens]

I guess I'm odd that I wasn't alarmed when I saw my chicks sprawled out. The first time I saw it I thought it was hilarious, because the silly things were running around at 90 miles an hour, then just... streeeeetch... thud... zzzzzz. It reminded me of when I worked in daycare in the toddler room, only with tiny chickens instead of tiny people.

I had a couple of chicks on webcam for a while when I was brooding them, and my viewers were always asking me, "Is that chick ok? Is is sick? What is it doing? Why is it doing that?" When Cinco started trying to dustbathe in his brooder's bedding material, my friends thought for sure he was having a fit. I had to explain that his behavior was completely normal.

 

[gander007]

Ya I have been hatching for a wile now and this is what they do just like human baby's the neck muscle is very week

 

[amkuska]

I don't mind when they fall over sideways, but when they are face first in the bedding I get a bit concerned! ;-)

 

[merlotmudpies]

I don't mind when they fall over sideways, but when they are face first in the bedding I get a bit concerned! ;-)

So funny. One of mine will fall asleep right by the water. Her head will dip down down down and then plop! She wakes up all shocked and then starts to do it again. Hysterical!