Cant blame your daughter...that would hve freaked me out too.....The first few times I had mine sunbathing/dirtbathing I thought they were dead....Had to go and check!!!! Still like it better when I see at least a leg kicking or a wing moving when they do that
Boy I can completely understand. I'm sure I'd be the same way and can remember when my 2 legged kids would be asleep in their crib I'd always have to watch to make sure they were breathing! When my day old chicks arrived from MPC I thought it was soooo cute the way they'd just fall asleep in any position....of course that was after I'd wake them up to make sure they were sleeping!!
Not only do my chickens do this but my llamas do it as well, lying on their sides or chests with their necks stretched out. I watch to see an ear flick and then I start to breath again.
That's so great your daughter is watching out for your chickens! She deserves a banana split or another chicken or some kind of treat! They do look pretty lifeless in the picture though. The first time I saw this behavior was a terribly hot day and I had one chicken in the run and the other 14 in the shady "coop" type area that had my makeshift swamp cooler going. I saw her lying there a big black lump alone in the sun and I ran over to her yelling, "Hey chicken, chicken chicken, get up!!! GET UP CHICKEN!!! GET UPPPPPP!!!!" I didn't think she was going to get up but she did and looked at me annoyed that I had even THOUGHT to disturb her and she arrogantly strode over to the others. The nerve of this chicken mom (me) checking on her. Humph!
My mom (79) was visiting me and we went out in the car. When we came back, one of the roos was lying in the driveway like that, and he wouldn't move. She freaked -- thought he was dead. "What could have happened to the chicken?" Just about then he scowled at us and jumped up.....LOL They start practicing playing dead when they are just babies...You go to reach for that dead looking chick and he jumps up, screaming, and runs all around the brooder.