How much should they sleep?

[peepkeeper]

I just got some new baby chicks yesterday and I'm a little worried. They don't seem very lively. They will eat and drink but they are always laying down sleeping. I remember my last chicks puttering around and these guys seem pretty exhausted. I put a little sugar in their water. Are they OK? Will they get their energy after a few days?

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Well it depends on what kind of chickens you have. My daughter raises meat birds in the summer for fair and hers also seemed to sleep a lot, she hardly ever found them when they werent sleeping. A little sugar in the water for the first two or three days is good, after that mix some electrolytes in their water and get rid of the sugar. That might help, but chickens are just like babies, they sleep a lot!

 

[FamilyOfChickens]

Also, for future maintenance and such it might be a good idea to put a little Terramycin in their water for the first few days.

 

[peepkeeper]

Thanks everyone. I think the sugar did the trick, they're a lot more active and seem to be finding their "oomph". I was worried there for a while!