It's hot and my girls are lying on their sides.

[MammaMoose]

I just went out to check on my girls. I found them in the shade, lying on their sides at funny angles. Is this normal? They were slow to get up and one kept her leg tucked up...like it had fallen asleep. I hurried inside and got a frozen milk jug out to them. I covered in in straw, which they promptly scratched away. I'm a new chicken momma (been doing this for 3 mos.) and am still getting used to my girls and their funny ways. Help me understand chicken. Thnx.

 

[Happy Chooks]

They're relaxing. It's normal, see.......here's mine:

 

[Happy Chooks]

Oh, and sometimes they lay on their sides while dust bathing also.

 

[KandJsmama]

Mine do that too. This is their second Vegas summer. I put out watermelon halves and lettuce or cabbage heads on the really hot days.

 

[MammaMoose]

Thnx. I thought I had a rare breed of "fainting" chickens. They didn't have a wing out, but were all the way on their sides. They scared me for a moment. Silly girls. Of course, in this heat and humidity, I'd be fainting and on my side, too.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Yeah, that's called the dead chicken look. Still freaks me out when I see it.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Mine do it when the sun is OUT! They lie on their sides, in the direct path of the sun's rays, spread out their wings and shut their eyes in contentment. It's a sun bath and it's delicious when it happens (for those of us who live in a continuous cool, cloudy, rainy climate).

 

[Neilette]

Quote:
Hear hear!

Almost the very first thing my chickens do the first time they see sunlight is spread out on the ground and sing. Bliss!

 

[TiaView]

My chickens do this, too, when they are in the sun or dusting.

I read in Meyers catalog that laying hens should not eat fruit. I say this in response to some who feed cold fruit on hot days. Is it true that fruit will stop hens from laying?

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

My girls get blueberries, strawberries, watermelon and bananas as treats all the time, no problems laying here. The key, with everything, is moderation.