So how much sleep do week old chicks need?

[TN Henny Penny]

We picked up our day old chicks last Sunday and all are doing well. The first day, they ate...and ate...and ate. We added the supplement to their water and Grow Gel. The next day, they slept almost the entire day, but they ate enough that they went through most of the feed and water by the end of the next 24 hrs. Their pattern since is to sleep, then someone steps on someone else; they all get up and eat and drink; then they all collapse in little heaps around the brooder. They seem fine to us, but we're so new that I fear we wouldn't notice a problem! The chicks still seem to sleep - a LOT! Is this normal? Are they tired from growing so fast or are they bored?

 

[justmeandtheflock]

Sounds exactly right to me

 

[Judy]

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X2

 

[Kansaseq]

I like to joke that chicks are narcoleptic; they'll be doing something, they stop, and fall asleep. Cracks me up every time!

 

[nivtup]

That is all they have to do in life for a while, eat, sleep, poop, repeat.

I always like it when they are sleeping and it looks like they are dead. Gets you to look real close the first few times.

 

[TN Henny Penny]

OK - Thanks for the validation! I must confess that on the first 'sleepy' day, I kept waking one of them up that was sleeping more than the others b/c I thought it was dying! I finally decided that the poor thing probably needed the rest and watched closely for breathing before disturbing it. Falling asleep with beaks on the waterer and feeder, literally with their little faces and beaks straight down in the litter and on top of each other...very funny little critters!

 

[awesomefowl]

Lots--they're BABIES.

 

[gotweim]

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[Michael Mckone]

This is completely normal my chick sleeps a lot due to it being young and active they shouldn't be getting bored at there age