"0tterbot" <spl@t.com> wrote in message
news:sWKSh.11910$M.9588@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> serious question!
>
> no matter how quiet i try to be when closing them up for the night, the
> little blighters are all awake.
>
> i am starting to wonder if they're like cows & hardly ever actually sleep,
> just rest.
>
> my three youngest chickens still don't roost, either. i made them a spiffy
> new house with two lovely roosts, & all they thought about that was to be
> sure not to bump their heads. they all sleep in the nesting box. i don't
> know why i bother. apparently they'd have been perfectly happy if i'd just
> made them a nesting box with a door on it ;-)
> kylie
Remember, chickens have been prey for millions of years (that is, if you
believe in evolution). The chickens survival depends on being able to run
from predators whenever they appear. Therefore, they may have developed the
characteristic of waking up instantly and being able to respond any
disturbance when they have been sleeping. This contrasts with people, who
have to wake-up a bit, and I'm not talking about a couple of cups of
coffee:), before they can respond to stimuli while they have been sleeping.
Derrick Parfitt
