- Apr 17, 2012
- 38
- 7
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I'm a brand new chicken owner. So I just wanted to see if these are normal chick behaviors or if I should worry?
Do chicks/chickens yawn? Occasionally I'll see them open their beaks like they are yawning, no sound coming out.
They seem to like stretching one leg out behind them - they do it when getting up from a nap, when settling down to sleep, while walking to the feeder... seems pretty normal (and totally cute). Every once in a while they'll be settling in to nap, stretch one leg out behind, and then sort of roll to one side and go to sleep. I guess I assumed chickens would always sleep in the same position? I didn't expect them to sleep stretched out on their side. they've also taken to stretching their neck out in front of them to sleep - that position makes them look like they might be dead, so I'm always watching to see them breathe when they do that.
Anyway. Those were some peculiar things I wasn't really expecting to see little tiny chicks do. Also, around what age should I expect them to start roosting? I have a stick going across their cage as a roost (about 5-6" up) and they occasionally try to get up on it, but can't quite yet.. and can't balance on it if we help them onto it. So, right now, they still pretty much sleep all piled up together (but are not piled together when they're awake).
Do chicks/chickens yawn? Occasionally I'll see them open their beaks like they are yawning, no sound coming out.
They seem to like stretching one leg out behind them - they do it when getting up from a nap, when settling down to sleep, while walking to the feeder... seems pretty normal (and totally cute). Every once in a while they'll be settling in to nap, stretch one leg out behind, and then sort of roll to one side and go to sleep. I guess I assumed chickens would always sleep in the same position? I didn't expect them to sleep stretched out on their side. they've also taken to stretching their neck out in front of them to sleep - that position makes them look like they might be dead, so I'm always watching to see them breathe when they do that.
Anyway. Those were some peculiar things I wasn't really expecting to see little tiny chicks do. Also, around what age should I expect them to start roosting? I have a stick going across their cage as a roost (about 5-6" up) and they occasionally try to get up on it, but can't quite yet.. and can't balance on it if we help them onto it. So, right now, they still pretty much sleep all piled up together (but are not piled together when they're awake).
