Chicken Behaviour Question

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Mamachic1967

Mamachic1967

Songster
8 Years
Apr 1, 2015
304
47
166
When I go out to see my hens a few of them crouch down. I started petting them when I got them and they would crouch down and let me. Now when they see me coming they automatically crouching down, are they looking to be petted?

Also, they are sleeping right at the coop door, why are they doing this? They always look when I open the door and try and fly up to get out. I included a photo of my gals taken today :)
I
 
The crouching is an invitation to mate. and an indication they will lay soon if they are not already laying. For the standing by the door, it sounds like they would rather be outside than in. Is it perhaps too hot for them in the coop? Unless your coop has a fan or a good breeze, chances are it is warmer inside than out, and chickens overheat readily.
 
Do they get enough sun? If they need to sunbathe, they'll lay down and almost look dead. But sometimes if you've tamed your flock enough to when they'll let you pet them, it's happened to me before. I had a leghorn hen who would trust us to the point to where she would lay down right in front of us.
 
HAHA! My hubby said they are trying to mate! And here I hoped they just loved my petting!!! :) Lol! They are all laying every day.
The coop is well ventilated, we put in a big window and there's a nice cross breeze, they spend a lot of time outdoors too. It happens at night when I put them to bed, and its cooler at that hour too. I worry that they're hot, they dig holes and lay in them I think to cool off.
 
They will indeed dig holes to cool off, nut they also do this to dust bathe, a normal activity for them.
 
Thank you for your response. I put a dust bath into the pen for them, I think it's a matter of cooling off as we've had extremely warm temperatures this week, thank goodness today has cooled down a lot! :)
 
Mine just started doing the same thing I had roosters with them but had to get rid of him now there ackting that way so hopefully they are about to lay eggs they are 20 weeks old
 
Thats neat. I didn't know you could train them to lay down where you want. All my hens let me pet them now, some let me hold them and pet them too.
 

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