I just came back inside from turning the heat lamp for the baby chicks. They arrived a week or so ago and are already significantly larger than when they arrived. As I stumbled through the dark greenhouse, fumbling for the power cord, I anticipated seeing their warm bodies huddled in a feathery flock. When I finally managed to fit the cords together, there they were.
What I didn’t anticipate was them being piled on top of one another, asleep, conserving heat. This lead me to thinking: how exactly is it that broods of baby animals know to huddle together to stay warm? This isn’t about them trying different things out until they collectively realize that they stay warmer when together. Somehow, they inherently know to do just that, as soon as they’re out of the egg.
I’m guessing it’s simply genetically passed “instinct”, just as we are wired for language. I’ll do more investigating, but if anyone knows – throw some sources at me.