Do chicks dream?

[MKetter]

I think I have a couple of night owls in the brooder. The other night I popped in around midnight to peak in the brooder, fully expecting to see nothing and hear nothing, but two were not under the brooder heating plate and quietly chirping at each other. I surprised them by reaching in and tucking them under the brooder plate.

Tonight I peaked in around 1 a.m. and heard chirping and flapping of wings and what sounded like pecking. They were all under the brooder plate. It made me wonder if these were movements because of dreams, or if they were awake when they should be sleeping.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

How old are they? Chicks don’t really “sleep through the night” until they’re a few weeks old…maybe. It also depends on whether they have lights on during the day or are outside, etc. Basically chicks in a brooder are a bit like babies…they eat often and have to get used to day and night being different. Hope that helps

 

[MKetter]

How old are they? Chicks don’t really “sleep through the night” until they’re a few weeks old…maybe. It also depends on whether they have lights on during the day or are outside, etc. Basically chicks in a brooder are a bit like babies…they eat often and have to get used to day and night being different. Hope that helps

Probably two weeks old. I’ve had them just under two weeks. They are in the garage, which has a window, so they see daylight during the daytime and darkness at night.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I would give them a couple more weeks to settle down more solidly at night. If you have a heat lamp on you will probably be able to shut it off during the day so they can get used to more natural light. Then once they start getting a couple hours outside during the day they will be more in tune with playing/eating during the day and sleeping at night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

As far as I know chickens don't really sleep through the night, not the way that humans might. If you have a camera with night vision you'll see them grooming, standing up, etc. even in complete darkness.

You mentioned a couple were quietly peeping but not under the heat source. At 2 weeks old if the ambient temperature is decently warm (mid 60s, 70s), they may not really want to be under the heat at night. Soft peeps are generally a sign of contentment, so I wouldn't sweat it if they choose to not fully get under the heat at this point as long as it's not too cold.