My chickens lay down a lot during the day, is this normal?

[Monk]

Quote:
WOW! That pretty much what my birds are doing now except, "lay an egg", they are only 8 weeks old. They got the,"Stretch. (Wing fully extended...standing on one leg...chicken yoga.)", down pat, must be a chicken thing??? Maybe they beg for treats more often? It's perfect! hilarious!!!

 

[Equus5O]

My girls are about 4 months old. They spend a good part of the day beneath the coop. They pick and scratch, snooze, pick and scratch, snooze, etc. How much picking and scratching can you do without snoozing?

I've noticed that if I let them out to free range earlier in the day, they huddle under the Blue Spruce tree near the run. They definitely don't like to be out in the sun.

If there's a fresh load of sand in the run, they'll bathe and relax in the sand for a while.

But even when they're free ranging, they'll spend some time just perched on the fence. They're not busy picking and scratching from sun up to sun down.

 

[Portia]

Mine free range but on a sunny day will come up on the deck and sack out. At first glance it looks like I have a flock of dead chickens strewn around the deck, even moreso because several of the girls are molting. They've always done this, so I'd say could be very normal for your flock as part of their relaxation time during the day.

 

[Elite Silkies]

I bet us new chicken owners, drive you guys crazy!!

(G Wiz Ranch) I have Black Australorps.

I took all of the Cedar Shavings out, that may be why they are not wanting to go into their coop. The cedar is pretty strong. I just hope that I got it out in time.

I am going to get them one of those little pools and put them sand in it with some DE, so they can bathe.

I was trying to check to see if they were getting enough grit last night, but of course you all guessed it, I have no idea what I am trying to feel for!

I put it in a bowl, they just dumped it over, and didn't seem to be eating any of it, so I threw it around the coop. They seem to prefer looking for their food, rather than eating out of something.

I don't know what I would do without all of ya'll's help. I think I have had every animal that you could think of, except chickens, and I thought I had read everything possible about chickens.

There is still so much to learn, but thanks to all of you, I'll get the hang of everything.

Thanks so much guys. Cammy

 

[Quack Shack]

Cammy, just some stuff I've learned from some great folks here over the past few months condensed so use what you may or can.

I use wood shavings in my nesting boxes because it's a bit more economical for me to buy a large bag of horse shavings than hay or straw. I actually sift the poop out of there daily and it keeps the box fresher. It's untreated shavings and I keep it just for their nesting boxes. Doesn't work well on the ground and will cause a bigger mess than straw when it gets wet. Toss the poop in a bucket and out to the compost pile it goes. It's the poop not the birds that smell after all. I read a post of a guy who uses cat litter inside the coop. I have cats so not a good idea for us.

As for grit, have you considered feeding them back their eggshells? Just wash, bake and crush. We dump them on the ground and the chixs love to scratch and peck. Cracked corn, can corn, any kind of corn is a great treat and so are oats. I've fed mine oatmeal and yogurt especially during the winter months and after coming off being broody. Right now they are digging corn cobs, strawberries, overripe tomatoes and watermelon leftovers. Yogurt and oatmeal are really the only thing I keep in a dish for them besides their grain bin. They also love to dig so they have a 'dirt spa' in a corner of their pen. They seem to content to leave my tree alone if I leave their holes alone. Win-win.

 

[jjdward]

The first time I saw my chickens "laying down" I almost died! She looked like she was in the throws of death! Turns out she was just dust bathing and stretching! Mine will take a dust bath and just lay there for a little while with one wing and one leg stretched over the ground. Looks so funny!!!

 

[Drafthorsegal]

This thread cracked me up! My chickies are pretty much like everyone elses. The one thing they forgot off the list is 'pretending to fly' and 'playing chicken' all day long in between stretching, naps, begging for treats, and talking.... what is it about EEs that cause them to talk and talk and talk?

My RIRs are a lot quieter.

 

[txchickie]

During the heat of the day, my free range flock is crashed out (aka laying on their sides looking dead

) wherever there is shade. Most of the time that shaded place is my back porch

It's super hot, I wouldn't want to be running around either

 

[Elite Silkies]

(Quack Shack) I did bake the egg shells the other night and crush them up for them, but I didn't wash them out. I will next time.

I surely do not want to be running around in this heat either, so I don't know why I thought my chickens should be.

Ya'll gotta love the new chicken owners, we should give quite a few laughs, since were a little on the dingy side starting out. It's a little embarrassing, but I'd rather ask a stupid question, then just go on not knowing.

I am just thankful, that I have all of ya'll to ask all my silly questions.

One of mine was all sprawled out and laying on her side, I thought I was gonna have a stroke too.

Having animals is just like having kids, you never stop worrying.

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

My 3 week old baby chicks do this too. It looks like they are warming their body on the earth. Then they nap, lol.