Sleepy chicks

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hannahlotis

hannahlotis

Hatching
May 2, 2017
5
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4
I picked up 4 few
400
day old Easter Egger chicks this afternoon at 1:00. They have all been sleeping since I brought them home. (About 5 hours now. I showed them their food and water and they all attacked the bowl for a few minutes and then right back to sleep. I'm not sure but I don't think this is normal behavior.
 
Welcome to BYC
What you are seeing is not abnormal -- these little birds have had a LOT of upheaval and stress during their short lives - hatching, being sexed and sorted, packaged and shipped, arriving at the store where things are pretty hectic, bright, loud and stressful, the "claw" appears multiple times a day to grab chicks - they finally got picked, boxed and brought home where they are now experiencing the first peace of their lives.
 
It is normal for very young chicks to spend a lot of time sleeping. Hatching is an exhausting venture for them. Usually they will wake up, get a sudden burst of energy, and then fall asleep again. Some will even fall asleep in the middle of eating and fall face first into the feeder. Others will fall asleep standing up and if they fall over, continue to sleep.

Are they drinking water, eating, exploring and having poos while they are up? You may want to check out the " Raising Backyard chicks forum.
 
Thank you. They have been eating, but not drinking. They have all pood multiple times, but all while lying down. None have explored, they ate when I sat them right in front of the feeder and then fell asleep in a pile next to it. When I hold them they are active and responsive, but fall back asleep right where I set them in the brooder.
 
What is the temperature in the warmest (right beneath the light) and coolest (farthest from the light) area of the brooder floor?
 
I have done a bit of experimenting today. My garage has been unusually warm so I turned off the light for about 30 min to see if they were too hot. They huddled closer together to sleep. So I turned it back on and moved it closer and they started panting. Where I have it now they seem to be comfortable. Poor things, all of my experimenting probably stressed them out even more.
 
They're all up and about now, eating drinking, and pooping. I spoke too soon! Thank you for your replies!
 
G’Day from down under hannahlotis
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Welcome & Congratulations!

I am so pleased that I am replying on the good news end of this thread and that your little ones are doing OK now.

They are so adorable!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

You might want to also pop in and say hello on your local thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you ‘Find your State’s thread.

If you would like to share more pictures and stories of your flock, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out
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