Is this normal behavior for 1 week old chick??

[Toi-toi]

My 1week old chicks are started to jump/trying to fly.
When I was looking for chicken, I used MPC's breed selecting tool and came up with "sussex is the best kind" for me.
They don't fly... but they are trying now.

I use guinea pig cage for brooder. When cage door is open, floor to door is about 5" high.
A few of days ago, they started to try jump out but they couldn't.
Now they are easily jump out and come out from cage.
Today, I saw one of my chicks jump over the 1qt size feeder.

When I take cover off from cage door to change food/water, they start gathering near the door.
Door open then jump!!!

Is that normal chick behavior????

 

[chikadeedoodah]

Yes, sounds like you have a healthy, happy bunch of babies. Congrats!

 

[noodleroo]

If I pick up a chick to cuddle, the other try to jump/fly out to me also. Mine are 9 days old and I'm certain they love me. I haven't even given them treats yet...

 

[fastpat]

Quote:
I would say yes, that's exactly what my chicks did. I had an 18 inch cardboard divider in their brooder room. Eventually they could leap/fly up to roost on that, then they could get over it, finally they were too heavy for the divider and it collapsed. I just took it out and gave them the room (a bathroom).

 

[Toi-toi]

Chicken is to me, "can't fly bird" so I'm so surprised that they can jump so high when they are still young!
So happy to hear if it's good healthy chick sign

 

[elmo]

Notice which feathers develop first? Yup. Wing feathers.

 

[candicesj]

Mine are 2.5 weeks now but at 1 week they were starting to try to jump/fly. Now they can all get out of the 1.5 foot high container when it's left without anything on top. I thought they were pretty darn good and that maybe I had flighty breed, but from what I know, they aren't supposed to be an especially flighty breed!

 

[gryeyes]

As elmo said, the wing feathers develop first. (Unlike ducks, by the way. Those little pin-feathered arms stay that way for quite some time as they put their energy into growing their BODIES first, not feathers.)

When folks say chickens don't fly, they are really referring to the way smaller birds fly to get from one place to another. Remember the old song about the Tennessee Walkin' Bird? That's what chickens do - they walk around. But they can fly if they need to fly. Some heavier breeds can't fly upwards very far.

Chicken flying, except for some breeds, is relegated to flapping wings really hard to get some lift and sail about five to twenty feet at most.

Chicks don't get up and fly around the room, they just flap and jump to get up to perch somewhere. Curious, looking around. Scoping out the landscape. And escaping over barriers. They're much lighter than they will be when they're all grown up.

As my chicks grew, I did the same as fastpat - I gave 'em the whole bathroom. I think it's cute to open the door and find a chick in the middle of the bathmat, looking back at me as if to say, "What? You lookin' at me?" Now and then I found one on the counter, admiring its reflection in the shiny faucet. Or pecking at the drain.

Bathrooms are easy to clean. Adventuring chicks are adorable.