Can chickens see well in the dark??

[redneck farmer]

Well the thread title said it all.... I wanna know cause I'm worried that if I leave my chicks in the dark they will not be able to see an knock over there food an water

 

[Judy]

It is generally felt they do not; I don't know that it's been proven. Adult chickens don't eat or drink at night. Chicks will, but they usually have some light, for warmth. If it's too dark for them to see, they will probably not wake up.

 

[redneck farmer]

oh ok thank you

 

[gg706]

I agree. It was hot and somehow and some point they had gotten the waterer off balance and all the water went out on the ground. So I didnt know at what point they had gotten water last as I was not at home, and they were on the roost when I went out to lock them up and realized the waterer was dry. So I took them off the roost and tried to get them to drink in the dark. I think they are almost COMPLETLY blind! Some drank a little and then stayed on the ground to sleep. They wouldn't even attempt to go back to the roost in the dark. So I had to put them back up there one by one.

 

[nickmancity]

i have to guide then into the coop every night .........its only when i put a light on that they seem to know where they should be .........

 

[chickengeorgeto]

In the dark Chickens are as blind as a bat. That is why chickens make such easy picking for every sharp toothed varmint in the world or why Tyson catches their broilers after dark for shipment to slaughter.

 

[PSJ]

The water and food should be fine. Do your chickens have a roost? Once it is dark and they are on the roost, they usually stay there until daylight. They don't really wander around in the dark, so they shouldn't turn over their food and water.

 

[nova022]

I have chickens that bend the rule of not eating in the dark and not moving about. I check my chickens every night befire I go to bed and every moring at 4:00 before I go to work. Other than the moon, stars and a small flashlight I carry to see my way, there is no light. My 7 month old girls stick tight to their roosts, but my four 4 month olds greet me at the door to their coop and eat the food I put in. I always thought this was strange chicken behavior from what I have read.