Is this a normal sleeping position?

[BrandonsBirbs]

For a chick a few days old, sure. 3 weeks? No way. Definitely too much light getting to her, and they should be sleeping plenty. Turn lights off at night and let them adjust to a real day/night cycle ^^

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes, I’m in Tn. They get normal amounts of light during the day. I just tried not to interrupt them because the seemed to be napping is what I meant. They are pretty active in general. There has been a low wattage light bulb on in the garage, it feels like a night light, but it has been going all night. I turned it off, just now tho.

OK.
Well, I never worry about disturbing chick(en)s during the day. They may lounge around a bit here and there, take in a dust bath, sun bath, perch about, etc. but I've never seen one flat out lie down like that during the day or night unless it was dead. (Sorry, no other way to put it).

Fresh chick starter, fresh plain water, poultry grit (crushed granite) during waking hours. Provide space to move about, play and a warm spot if they need it. Night time, sleep in the dark.

 

[raingarden]

I knock on the side of the brooder if one is sleeping in a weird position. It's always a false alarm.

 

[K0k0shka]

No lights on at night, at any age. They need a normal day/night cycle to develop a proper circadian rhythm. A lot in their bodies is controlled by the day/night cycle. That's why I'm not a fan of heating lamps either. Brooder plates are much better. With a mother hen, the chicks are under her in complete darkness at night, and that's what their bodies expect.

Also, don't worry about disturbing them, even at night. They sleep in short cycles and shallowly, they don't pass out and lie dead asleep for 8 hours like humans. Prey animals can't afford to do that, or they'll be eaten by the sneaky nocturnal predators. It's more important to make sure they are okay, than to not wake them up. They'll just go right back to sleep.

I don't know what's going on with your chick, but I did have one chick a couple years ago who would lie like that. Not at night, but he liked to stretch out on his side, with his legs out like that, and lie motionless during the day. He did it both outside and inside, and it wasn't in the sun so not like a failed attempt at sunbathing. He kept his wings in, not the top one stretched as in sunbathing. He'd just lie on his side with his legs stretched out like that, and look very chill He was healthy and grew up into a beautiful giant. Not saying that that's what's going on here - you should still keep an eye on the chick, as that's not a normal sleeping position either way. Just offering an example of something like this being just random chicken weirdness.

 

[MagistraTn]

No lights on at night, at any age. They need a normal day/night cycle to develop a proper circadian rhythm. A lot in their bodies is controlled by the day/night cycle. That's why I'm not a fan of heating lamps either. Brooder plates are much better. With a mother hen, the chicks are under her in complete darkness at night, and that's what their bodies expect.

Also, don't worry about disturbing them, even at night. They sleep in short cycles and shallowly, they don't pass out and lie dead asleep for 8 hours like humans. Prey animals can't afford to do that, or they'll be eaten by the sneaky nocturnal predators. It's more important to make sure they are okay, than to not wake them up. They'll just go right back to sleep.

I don't know what's going on with your chick, but I did have one chick a couple years ago who would lie like that. Not at night, but he liked to stretch out on his side, with his legs out like that, and lie motionless during the day. He did it both outside and inside, and it wasn't in the sun so not like a failed attempt at sunbathing. He kept his wings in, not the top one stretched as in sunbathing. He'd just lie on his side with his legs stretched out like that, and look very chill He was healthy and grew up into a beautiful giant. Not saying that that's what's going on here - you should still keep an eye on the chick, as that's not a normal sleeping position either way. Just offering an example of something like this being just random chicken weirdness.

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Thank you. I think my motherly instincts felt like they were overstimulated, and whenever they see me they get all excited. That’s why I was worried about disrupting their quiet time. When my kids were little I would never dream of rousing a sleeping toddler!

when I caught her laying like that her toes were twitching like a dreaming pup and my gut told me she was just being weird. Maybe I need to develop chicken gut in addition to human & dog gut

ive adjusted the lighting, and hopefully all is well…

 

[The-White-Elephant]

I can’t quite tell them apart, but have not noticed any issues.
In case the Pic is not showing up, here it is again

Are they chickens?

 

[K0k0shka]

When my kids were little I would never dream of rousing a sleeping toddler!

It is indeed very tempting to draw parallels. Our chickens are our babies, after all. But chicken babies and human babies are very different... Their physiology, their sleep needs and patterns, their behavior. So, as natural as it comes to us to extend our mothering experience to our animals, that's not always productive. I would absolutely not dream of waking a sleeping toddler either, but chickens are totally fine. A nice break from the sleep-related battles of parenting!