Chickens sleeping head down

[Cacique500]

Does anybody else have chickens that sleep with their heads down like in the picture? You can see the Barred Rock and the Buff Orpington sleeping with their heads down. They're 12 weeks old...just thought it was funny...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chicks are like kids, they can sleep anywhere and in any position. It takes a bit before young birds learn how to tuck their head under a wing. Very cute.

 

[aldarita]

I have seen some of my hens do that every once in a while. They were adults already. The first time I saw it, I got a little worried because I had never seen anything like this before. It seems to be normal and they don't do it all the time.

 

[aldarita]

Cacique500, it looks like you have an infrared HDTV camera in your coop. I do have 2 cameras in mine but I turned the infrared light off when I found out chickens can see infrared and I didn't want them to be awake during the night because of the light. I can see your chicks are able to sleep with the infrared light on with no problem. Please correct me if I am wrong in my assumptions.

 

[centrarchid]

What is temperature on the coop? Mine sleep with heads extended when temperature is high. They switch back and forth between that and the more typical position with head under wing.

 

[Cacique500]

Cacique500, it looks like you have an infrared HDTV camera in your coop. I do have 2 cameras in mine but I turned the infrared light off when I found out chickens can see infrared and I didn't want them to be awake during the night because of the light. I can see your chicks are able to sleep with the infrared light on with no problem. Please correct me if I am wrong in my assumptions.

Yes I do have IR on the cameras. I did a lot of reading before I put them in but couldn't find any really conclusive evidence either way if it would keep them up. Doesn't seem to affect them or do any harm and for me I really like to see what's going on out there at night (all my cams have IR around the coop/run/yard)

 

[Cacique500]

What is temperature on the coop? Mine sleep with heads extended when temperature is high. They switch back and forth between that and the more typical position with head under wing.

Temp at the time was around 75 to 80 degrees IIRC.

 

[centrarchid]

You are creeping into range where they can be heat stressed during early part of night, especially while still processing a lot of feed in crop.

 

[chickens really]

It seems to be a young Birds way of sleeping....Went from huddled on the floor to roosting at night...All my pullets do it and then mature...

Cheers!

 

[Acinom]

My big boy still sleeps like this, but I thought it was because the comb was too heavy.