Chicken laying on ground with wing open during the day

new-egger

Hatching
5 Years
Apr 4, 2014
6
0
7
My hens are allowed the run of the backyard all day long. They don't head into the coop to rest but will often squat and snooze. But my white leghorn is showing some very odd snoozing which is concerning me. She is basically laying to one side and is opening up her wing and spreading down across her leg and is falling asleep like that! She was walking around and eating, then 10 minutes later I see her against my patio door leaning on the wall like that. When I approached she hopped up and walked away. I went inside and she proceeded to do the same thing on the door mat. When she noticed me spying on her, she hopped up for a second, then switched sides to open the OTHER wing. I've seen her stretch her wings many times, but I've never seen a chicken snoozing with a wing wide open like that. Anyone else see this behavior or think I should be concerned? I tried to catch her to do a health check,but she's way too quick and if she's sick, I didn't want to stress her out. I'm going to check her over this evening after she goes into the coop. I'd love some feedback from folks out there that may have seen this? Not so great picture attached. Weather - it's sunny and about 70 so she shouldn't be cold...
 
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don't be concerned...mine do it all the time. they are kind of basking in the sun, stretching to take it all in! after mine are cooped up for bad weather days, they all come out and sleep like that in the sun. it's really funny :)
 
We joke that they're doing Chicken Yoga when they do that. They only do it when they seem particularly relaxed.
 
We joke that they're doing Chicken Yoga when they do that. They only do it when they seem particularly relaxed.
My husband also jokes about yoga classes. But seriously they are just getting a breeze in their feathers and a ray of sunshine in their wingpits. we have one that will flip on her back even and spread her wings out and just lay there spread eagle snoozing. First time she did it I thought she was dead. but now its a regular occurrence.
 
I agree with everyone, very normal! Although I'm no longer sure there is 'normal' with chickens, lol... but I had a chick who did that under the heat lamp... when I turned the heat down cuz the other chicks were too warm, he'd hop up to the edge of the brooder and sprawl out... caught him, but the pics don't show the biggest sprawls he did on that edge, lol...

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Larry, my tropical chick, lol...
 
My baby silkies, their parents, and the other birds in my flock all do the sunning-wing-stretch-chicken-yoga-thing from time to time when it's particularly nice out and especially after they've been cooped up. Some of them do it more than others. My roo is the only one that doesn't do it, but it's probably because he's always on watch. I don't think it's anything to worry about, especially if you know they've got food and water and have been actively consuming both.
 

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