Nocturnal Feeding? Night Vision?

[vantain]

I though that chickens could not see at night? Well, I have one Barred Rock that leaves the roost every night, and goes to the feeder in the coop and has a late night snack. I have found that she does this at least once or twice each night.

She seems to see just fine…and don’t let the camera footage trick you. It’s pitch black out there. The image is lit from infrared. Notice the time stamps….and she nails the landing getting back to the roost.

 

[NatJ]

I though that chickens could not see at night?

I know that some people have blind chickens that still find the food and water (especially if they are always in the same place.)

I don't know how to tell if she can see, or if she's doing it by memory the way a blind chicken would.

I have one Barred Rock that leaves the roost every night, and goes to the feeder in the coop and has a late night snack. I have found that she does this at least once or twice each night.

That is very interesting!

Do you know if she usually has a full crop at bedtime?

I'm wondering if she has trouble getting enough to eat during the day (maybe getting bullied), or if she digests her food extra-fast and wants more, or if this is just one of those weird things chickens do

 

[vantain]

I know that some people have blind chickens that still find the food and water (especially if they are always in the same place.)

I don't know how to tell if she can see, or if she's doing it by memory the way a blind chicken would.


That is very interesting!

Do you know if she usually has a full crop at bedtime?

I'm wondering if she has trouble getting enough to eat during the day (maybe getting bullied), or if she digests her food extra-fast and wants more, or if this is just one of those weird things chickens do

I do have a blind chicken, but this isn’t her. In the posted video, the blind one is on the lower front roost by herself. Kiev, the one leaving the roost to feed is a troublemaker, but also not the lowest in the pecking order. I see her harassing a couple of other chickens quite often. She also is at the feeders in daytime often.

She’s a very energetic chicken, so maybe she just has a high metabolism and gets hungry at night. I recently put new cameras in the coop, and now have recorded history, which is how I started seeing this behavior. I found it interesting.

 

[vantain]

This seems to be a nightly thing. Now that I have cameras that record all the time, I can catch things like this.

Last night she went down around 10:30pm. This morning, when the pop door opened, the first place she headed was the feeder. I had some maintenance to do in the run today, and she was at the feeder and/or hanging out by me. She’s the inquisitive one of the bunch, and the most active. Even as a chick, she was the one that was always up on top of anything she could get to. And, she’s like that now at almost two. Silly girl! Lots of energy.

 

[CanadaEh]

that's pretty impressive. may be your camera's infrared is not that perfect and have some visible (at least for the chickens) component in it

 

[aart]

It’s pitch black out there.

There's no ambient light anywhere nearby?

 

[vantain]

that's pretty impressive. may be your camera's infrared is not that perfect and have some visible (at least for the chickens) component in it

Well, unless I turn on the yard light out there, I can barely see them on the roosts if I go into the coop.

 

[vantain]

There's no ambient light anywhere nearby?

Not really. I mean, if it’s a full moon there is some light. Of course, if I go out there I can’t see them very well in the dark, so I assumed they couldn’t either. Then again, maybe if I stayed out longer, and my eyes were adjusted to the darkness, I might see a little better too. Like I mentioned, I found this interesting. I’m going to keep checking the cameras each day and see if she misses any nights, and what I perceived the light level to be…based on more moonlight or whatever.

 

[aart]

Then again, maybe if I stayed out longer, and my eyes were adjusted to the darkness, I might see a little better too.

Worth a try.
I found my house lights partially lit the coop a bit, way more than I noticed without turning off my headlight and standing out there for a while.

 

[Folly's place]

Chickens don't see in the dark, but have better vision in dim light than most of us.
Do you have more than one feeder and waterer? Make sure everyone can eat and drink when they want.
Mary