Weird behavior

[catsew]

I know this might get switched to the behavior side, but since its about a 4 week old I thought here might be ok. When I took the chicks outside to play today, the one chick like laid down on its side and stretched its neck out and kinda just laid there. I really thought it had just keeled over and died. I touched its head and it got up and continued to run around and scratch for a few more hours. It was just really weird. Is that some sort of normal thing, or did something happen to it? It did it near a gap in the fence that I was blocking off, which is why at first I thought maybe it was stretching to try to crawl under the fence.

Its also hot here today, but nowhere near TX heat or anything, mid 80's. They did have shade and water. But maybe it was too much of a temp change to go from the house to the yard? We do not use air conditioning, so its not like they went from 70 to 90 or anything.

 

[gritsar]

Sounds like sunbathing. They will also start laying down and twitching all around, dustbathing. Perfectly normal. Enjoy your chicks.

 

[duckinnut]

They do it all the time and when they get older as well. Had 4 of my older girls all stretched out together,looked like a Malibu beach for chickens.

 

[catsew]

Whew, thank you so much. I really thought something was seriously wrong. I've never had chickens before so I can't say I've never seen one do that before, but I had never heard that they did that, so I didn't know to look for it. Glad to hear they sound pretty normal.

 

[Delta2 23]

They love it when the sun comes out

And don't get alarmed when they start to writhe in the dirt and kick stuff all over each other: that's normal too!

 

[Ksane]

My daughter's chicken will run across the deck and as soon as he gets to the part of the deck where the sun's shining he collapses like he's dead and lays there all crumpled up. I haven't seen him do it but my daughter was laughing about it (after she realized he hadn't hadn't a heart attack). He's done it multiple times now.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Here are some of my girls soaking up the sun...

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
x2 -

~ Aspen

 

[catsew]

Seriously, thank you guys. This place is so wonderful. I would have worried for days about this otherwise.