Do baby chicks sleep with their heads on the floor?

[countrycakelady]

im new at this, mine are 14 weeks as of this week......they have grown up so fast! The first 2 nights in their new permanent coop...they SLEPT ON THE FLOOR! By the 3 night, they had gotten on their roosts....and they love their new huge home! I need to get some pics posted soon....

 

[katelk]

I am glad I found this! I have my first ever 5 orpington chicks, almost 4 weeks old. They are precious but I have been wondering if they are okay! They just sprawl out everywhere. My tiniest one (named Nugget) even falls asleep with her head inside the feeder! Lol

 

[lynH]

Thank you SO MUCH for this information. My chicks just arrived today at 11 a.m. They've been cute and active and running around and then 2 just suddenly laid flat and didn't move. I thought they were dead. So glad to know they are just sleeping. Seemed like a lot of activity for day-old birds so I can imagine that they need a nap!

 

[The Mother Hen]

Yes, baby chicks lower their heads in order to sleep, and even as adolescent chicks (about a month or so) they will lower their heads if they rest on a roosting bar. A roosting bar is a MUST when your chicks are older, even if it's a small one. You can make it out of long tree limbs or sturdy boards (but making it is in the future). My coop has four walls and a roosting bar in it, it is their resting coop only. If all of your eggs are hatched, discard any dead or dud eggs because rotten eggs stink to high heaven! Also, if your chicks have an unhealed navel (it's where the yolk attaches to the chick) and it's bleeding chances are your chick might die. I had a chick's nave kind of scab over, and now she's a healthy little bugger running around perfectly fine.

 

[write2caroline]

yes, for the first few days they kind of fall asleep where ever and stretch out. When they are grown more and meet the sun, you might come upon them all contortioned out as they try to catch some sunshine - it is a little shocking because at first I thought OMgoodness something horrible happened to them and then to see them and realize they are simply sunning themselves.

They are the cutest little sweet things when they are brand new.

Caroline

 

[ampho]

We were amazed by this too! Do adult chickens do this?
PS I am getting nothing done, just watching them!

 

[hugapug]

Here is my Fritzie, a silver laced Polish - the Queen of Lounge After a good meal and a fully belly.

 

[BabyCuri]

they do not sleep like that but i do not know if they are sick, they just sit down and close there eyes for about 10 seconds then wake up and go back to what ever they were doing.

 

[Greening crew]

Just wondering could some one please tell me what age should my chickens be sleeping off the ground???

 

[LTygress]

It depends. My first set of chicks started doing that when they were about 12 weeks old. But right now I have four chicks that were raised by a broody hen THROUGH a second set of egg hatching, that are still sleeping in the nest at 4 months old. The broody hen is no longer in there, but they still crowd into the box at night and sleep there anyway.