I have noticed a bizzare behaviour by our chicks the past few evenings that I can't explain so I'm hoping some of you "experts" might have an idea.
They have been in the coop for about 1 week now. I didn't notice this the first few nights but for the past two evenings they done this. It's almost as if they are scared/insecure about something but I'm really not sure.
What they are doing is huddling together in the corner where the coop door goes outside and they do it in a way that you would think they are nuts or having an anxiety attack of some sort as they are pretty incesent about climbing under/over each other when they are doing it and peeping somewhat loudly as they all try to literally cram into that corner. I even had one that flies to me both nights as if wanting to be held.
This a brand new coop as you can see in my introduction photo's and even though obviously a mouse or something could get in somewhere I'm sure, I don't believe we've had critter issues so far and they are closed in each evening in the coop.
During the day, they seem to be fine and act normally about the coop and the yard when I've watched them.
The first few nights we had left on their warming lights as it was only about 45 at night, but when it was staying 55 - 65 degrees in the evening, we shut them off the next few nights. My first thought was that they were maybe "afraid of the dark" (it's funny for me to even say but heck you never know I suppose) so we turned the lights back on and they seemed to calm down a bit for a few minutes, but about 5 minutes later they were at it again, all peeping loudly and trying all 12 of them to cram into that corner of the coop by their door to the outside (it's closed at that point) with an urgency that makes you feel bad for them.
Yesterday it was cold all day again, so we left the warming lights on in the coop all day and the night again, but when I checked them just before dark and went into the coop they were doing it again. It's just weird/sad to watch really. It's like they are freezing or scared to death of something.
I have two 2x4 roosts in there as well and tried to place them on the roosts but they will crowd each other off the roost and invariably jump or get pushed back to the floor and head back into that corner of the coop again, pushing and shoving their way into the pile.
Cold? Scared? Both? Anyone ever seen anything like I'm describing before?
They have been in the coop for about 1 week now. I didn't notice this the first few nights but for the past two evenings they done this. It's almost as if they are scared/insecure about something but I'm really not sure.
What they are doing is huddling together in the corner where the coop door goes outside and they do it in a way that you would think they are nuts or having an anxiety attack of some sort as they are pretty incesent about climbing under/over each other when they are doing it and peeping somewhat loudly as they all try to literally cram into that corner. I even had one that flies to me both nights as if wanting to be held.
This a brand new coop as you can see in my introduction photo's and even though obviously a mouse or something could get in somewhere I'm sure, I don't believe we've had critter issues so far and they are closed in each evening in the coop.
During the day, they seem to be fine and act normally about the coop and the yard when I've watched them.
The first few nights we had left on their warming lights as it was only about 45 at night, but when it was staying 55 - 65 degrees in the evening, we shut them off the next few nights. My first thought was that they were maybe "afraid of the dark" (it's funny for me to even say but heck you never know I suppose) so we turned the lights back on and they seemed to calm down a bit for a few minutes, but about 5 minutes later they were at it again, all peeping loudly and trying all 12 of them to cram into that corner of the coop by their door to the outside (it's closed at that point) with an urgency that makes you feel bad for them.
Yesterday it was cold all day again, so we left the warming lights on in the coop all day and the night again, but when I checked them just before dark and went into the coop they were doing it again. It's just weird/sad to watch really. It's like they are freezing or scared to death of something.
I have two 2x4 roosts in there as well and tried to place them on the roosts but they will crowd each other off the roost and invariably jump or get pushed back to the floor and head back into that corner of the coop again, pushing and shoving their way into the pile.
Cold? Scared? Both? Anyone ever seen anything like I'm describing before?
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