Bed time behavior or am I missing something?

[DangerChickenHouse]

My four baby chicks (ages vary from 2 weeks to 5 weeks) are loving their new roomy coop. We sit outside (in the coop) with them on and off during the day. I only leave them by themselves if I am working in the yard. Other than that, they are inside. Tonight around dusk, we went out to the run and sat in our lawn chairs talking before scooping them up to bring inside. All four started making a new sound, which was a higher pitch chirp (almost frantic), and hopped onto our laps. They normally snuggle up to us at this time of night, but they were crawling all over us continuously chirping as if something was wrong. Is this typical "dusk behavior" or am I missing something?

 

[LarryPQ]

Chickens are freaks, and go through various freaky stages. So there is that.

Also, chickens will often use that time right before bed to push each other off the roosts and reinforce the pecking order. So, you may be seeing a little of that behavior developing.

...but mostly chickens are strange, lovable little animals.

 

[pontoosuc]

we let our chickens out at dusk to free range and they go in once the sun sets.

sounds like your chickens like you, and want you to come into the coop for the night.

when we first put our new babies into their new outside coop (from the brooder in the garage) they didn't
want us to leave (last year). it was so adorable. but they got over it! and so did we.

sounds like you really like your chickens.

 

[stormylady]

you sound like wonderful chickie parents ! MY babies go nutsy when the fireflys first come out in the evening, any chance they might have seen one and got excited? And it is on like Donkey kong if one actually catches one, they jump around and chirp really super loud its cute to watch! LOL

 

[Gullygarden]

yup, mine climb all over me and do that at bedtime in their new coop too. After a week of itnthey got into going to bed in the new spot on their own. They were friendlier at that time than any other!

 

[DangerChickenHouse]

All seems okay this morning! I sat out in the run with them for about an hour. They only hung out where I was hanging, but they weren't jumping/climbing on me.

Yay!

I'm a good chicken mama!

 

[JakRat]

LOL mine run away from me. I think they really like being in the coop now. They havent started their fighting over the roost, but they are exploring and it is super cute... mine hate to sit on me during the day, but at night they will all fall asleep in my lap or roost on my arm....... sigh I cant wait to have kids......

 

[MuckyPuppy]

Quote:
If you are talking about human kids, then I have four of them and none of them will roost on my arm but the youngest will fall asleep on my lap and sit on my lap during the day. As for fighting over the roost (me) only the youngest will do that and when I insist on letting one of her siblings stay seated by my side and not let her push them away she will stick her lower lip out and pout. At which point I try not to laugh, can't stop and she will pout harder, cross her arms and say, "It's not funny!"

 

[RedDrgn]

It's the night chirp (or the, "hey guys, it's time to find a roost" chirp)! Our chicks started doing that as soon as we started taking them outside and being out until anywhere near dusk (and then they'd climb right up our backs and pile onto our shoulders).

Our chickies just hit four weeks and now they use that chirp right before they head into the coop for the night. It's pretty cool.

 

[mrs r bueno]

so cute mine are about a month and they do the same thing.