First night-temp question

I Dream 0f Chickens *U*

In the Brooder
9 Years
May 18, 2010
67
0
39
Broussard, LA
I'm as nervous as I was the first night my first child spent at home! (And I find I am checking on my babies as often as I did on her, too!)

I just got my babies this afternoon and I have their brooder set up in the garage. I live in southern Louisiana where our days are reaching the low 90s already and our lows are in the low 70s. The garage was hot as I got them set up, but I had forgotten to get a thermometer to see exactly how warm it was. When I checked on my babies they were laying down with their necks stretched out. I didn't know if that was a normal chick sleeping position so I pointed their fan down into the box and placed ziplock bags of ice in the brooder to cool them off. Well, they sure did wake up! I ran to the store to get a thermometer and the reading is 82-84 (they are 2 weeks old). When I got back from the store they were all snuggled up next to each other. (I have a heat lamp on standby in case it gets cool in there for them.)

So my question is: how do chicks "usually" sleep? Snuggled up or spread out?
 
On cold nights, mine usually cuddle up, but I have seen some sleep with their necks stretch on the ground like they're dead (but they're not).
 
I just checked again. It was up to 88 degrees and they were sleeping in a star formation. I have five of them and they were sleeping with their booties in the center and their heads forming the five points of the stars. And one of them was sleeping with her neck stretched out. I pointed the fan back in to see if I can get it to drop a few degrees.
 

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