Raising chickens can be a fun hobby.
But, knowing about chicken behavior is essential, particularly when you want to keep a flock of chickens.
Now, chickens are a feisty bunch that loves to scratch, shuffle and forage for food all through the day.
Yes, they love to relax, nap, and sunbathe, but if you’re running into a few of your chickens falling asleep too often, it might be a sign of concern.
So if you are wondering why your chicken keeps falling asleep then you’re in the right place
So, chickens do become lethargic and tend to fall asleep when sick.
Your chicken can fall ill for multiple reasons such as thrush, salmonellosis, pullorum, or even mushy chick.
And, if your chicken hasn’t been dewormed of late, then you will find your chickens off their food and falling asleep too often.
Naturally, that doesn’t mean that every time you find your chickens sleeping, you should go into a panic.
You see, there are quite a few telling signs associated with falling asleep or being lethargic that’ll make it obvious for you that your chickens are not doing too well.
Hence, let’s take a deeper look into why your chicken might be falling asleep and what might be the possible reasons for your flock’s lack of energy and enthusiasm.
Check out my article – Do chickens sleep during the day?
What Are The Reasons For Your Chicken Falling Asleep?
Chickens are a very happy lot that loves to live life to the fullest.
These are intelligent beings that are friendly and affectionate, bubbling with vitality.
They nap as and when they please, but you won’t often find your chicken in the coop for long hours.
If you do discover a solitary birdie forever alone and asleep, it’s not doing too good health-wise.
So, if your chicken seems to be napping for long hours on its own, then you need to ensure that your chicken is not suffering through any of the following diseases:
- Thrush – Also known as Candidiasis, is a fungal infection of the digestive tract. It originates from moldy food or contact through contaminated surfaces or ill birds. Other symptoms of thrush are increased appetite with extreme lethargy. As well as ruffled feathers.
- Salmonellosis – A bacterial disease that can result in septicemia in young chickens. It can be contracted orally and come into contact with rodents. Other signs of salmonellosis include diarrhea, loss of appetite, thirst, and dejection.
- Pullorum – Pullorum is a viral disease spread through coming into contact with contaminated surfaces, food or water, and sick birds. Older chickens start sneezing and coughing and stop laying eggs. There is lethargy, messy vents, ruffled feathers, and breathing problems in younger chickens. You need to know that there is no cure or vaccine for pullorum, so if you feel that your birdie might have contracted pullorum, then you need to isolate your chicken and put it down.
What Are The Other Telling Signs Of An Unhealthy Chicken?
It’s no puzzle for anyone to figure the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy one.
As mentioned earlier, there are many apparent signs, apart from your chicken, that will hint that your feathered friends are feeling under the weather.
Let’s take a look:
- Not Foraging – Chickens are anything but lazy creatures. They love and live foraging. These simple creatures will travel all through the pen, looking for everything and anything they can find for food, including worms, crumbs, or seeds.
But, if your chicken is confined to its coop, seems frazzled, and looking for food, in particular, you should know that your chickens are sick.
- Head drooping – Healthy chickens sleep in a specific way, and if you find that your chicken is keeping its head drooped or tucking its head in its wings, then your beloved pet is ill.
- Difficulty Walking – They say that roosters love to strut. But chickens are pretty vain and love to try as much as any roosters. But, if you find that your chicken is having trouble walking or appears to look bow-legged, you should certainly make an appointment with the local avian vet.
- Being Solitary – Chickens don’t do solo, and if you’ve got a flock of chickens that have been together for a while, and suddenly one of them seems to isolate itself from the crowd, your chicken it’s trying to be mysterious or elusive; you should check if your chicken is showing other indications of illness or disease.
- Unaware Of Surroundings – A healthy chicken is incredibly aware of its surroundings. They are very conscious of everything that might represent a threat or pose a danger. But, if your chicken is falling asleep at all times, seems generally sluggish, and is oblivious to its surroundings, then you should be ready to visit the local vet.
How Can You Make Sure That Your Chicken Doesn’t Fall Sick?
The easiest and surest way to ensure that your flock of chickens doesn’t fall prey to diseases and illnesses is to enhance their immunity.
Chicken is given feed supplements and additives that improve your pet’s immunity levels.
By adding feed supplements to your chicken’s feed, you ensure that your flock of chickens can better absorb the nutrients in the feed, improve digestive function, and upgrade their gut bacteria.
Another step to take to ensure that your flock stays away from disease is to keep the hygiene in your chicken coop as well as their general environment at optimal levels.
You need to clean up their water and food bowls daily, and you need to clean up their coop frequently.
It would be best if you never tried to put too many chickens in a confined space as that is bound to encourage the growth of sickness.
Before I wrap up
Here’s some other interesting articles about chickens which I think you’ll benefit from so do check them out
Chickens sleeping on the ground (Possible reasons)
Wrapping Up
It might appear to be a lot of fun keeping chickens.
They are strange creatures that can melt the most hardened of hearts.
But, it would be best if you did not take the responsibility of being a pet parent of a chicken lightly.
You see, these animals need just as much of your love and attention as any other domestic pet.
If you can see that your chicken is acting out of the ordinary, falling asleep too often, and appearing unwell, don’t waste time and head to the vet.
