Sleeping Babies

[Prospector]

So my little guys are all in their brooder. When they get sleepy, one of 2 things happens, either they bunch up and sleep in a mass, or they spread out and sleep with their knecks stretched out lying flat on teh ground.

Are these behaviours normal?

 

[gritsar]

Absolutely normal. They run like crazy for short periods of time and then fall over, as if dead. If they all get sleepy at the same time, they'll pile up for their nap.

 

[booker81]

I love watching ours sleep like the babies they are

Hubby LOVES it when they strreeeeettccchhh out as far as they can, and then lay there.

I put a few knobby sticks in for them, and now they try to roost/lay on those - but they still pile sometimes

 

[Prospector]

Thanks guys,

I was worried that they were piling up because they were cold, or stretching out because they were hot. I guess they are just doing whatever suits them.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Generally when they are too cold, they are piled up (as close to the heat lamp as possible) and peeping loudly. There's a difference between piling up to sleep and piling up because they are too cold, but it's hard to explain. There's a frantic-ness to the cold piling.
Ideally, you want to see them doing a little of both; running in and out from under the heatlamp, sometimes close to it, sometimes not.

 

[Prospector]

A second thankyou!

Our breeder advised us not to put shavings in the brooder till teh chicks figured out what food is, and told us to put paper towels in instead. The chicks were eatign the paper towels though. We have taken out everythign now, adn are letting them lie on teh floor of the Mr. Turtle pool. Is that OK, or is there some kind of bedding that they won't eat, and won't hurt them?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
If they are eating well go ahead and put them on pine shavings, pine, not cedar. It will give them something to snuggle down into to sleep and they'll love scratching around in it too. Don't be concerned if you see them picking up a flake of the shavings from time to time. It's how they learn what's food and what's not; just like human babies put everything in their mouths. They won't eat enough to harm them.

 

[Supermommy486]

Mine do the same thing! lol

 

[Prospector]

Thats good to hear too. We have a 3 cu ft bale of pine shavings that we are waiting to be put to service.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
They'll have a blast.