I just moved some chicks to a bigger brooder. Y R they doing this?

[Picklestix7866]

Sorry. I ran out of space in the title. Anyways...

Hi! I have a bunch of Silkie chicks. They range in age from two weeks to four weeks. I just moved the older ones to a bigger brooder in the garage. They went from being in a little plastic tub with twenty chicks to being in a giant stock tank with only 6 of them. They are in the garage, and I might have the heat a little too high, but I'm paranoid about them getting too cold tonight. I don't really trust my thermometer either. lol.

They are all piled together near the heat lamp (but not directly under it) and they all seem to want to lay on their sides and stretch out as much as possible. I would think that if they were cold they would be directly under it huddling, and if they were warm they would be way on the edges of the heat. Are they just content and trying to stretch, or is this a sign that they aren't happy. Lol. I told you I'm paranoid.

PS I just went out and checked on them and they were all sleeping and didn't even want to move when I was near them. I think they are just comfy, but I dont know.

 

[the_eagle69]

It sounds like they are happy if they were not happy they would let you know.

 

[daisychick]

They are "sunbathing" mine do it all the time. As long as they have spots to move away from the heat light to cool off they are fine. I think they would peep if they were too cold.

 

[cmom]

Not to worry... The first time I saw my chicks dust bathing I thought they were going spastic..

 

[Mrs MIA]

Yep... sunbathing... sounds like they're happy!

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I had moved my 10 from bunny cage to 169 gal stock tank and they do the same thing. Spread out in a circle. The smaller and slower growers huddled under the light longer. Now that I have a 2 x 4 perch to the right of the red heat lamp, the bigger chicks roost on that while others still spread out, groom themselves and then sleep.

 

[Justino]

im guessin these are your first chicks right ?

yeah, they're sunbathing, they'll be doin it the rest of their lives as happy hens or roos

 

[Picklestix7866]

Quote:
Actually this is my third year raising chicks for 4H, not counting all those chicks the Silkies insisted on hatching all last summer. I'm just really paranoid about these chicks because I drove 6 hours (3 there, 3 back) to pick them up, and I have become pretty attached to them. I don't want anything to happen to them. And this is my last year in 4H (senior! Woot!) so I want to make sure I have chicks this summer. Lol. And I've never seen them act this way before.