Do chicks fly into each other on purpose?

[Chocobo]

I have two Easter Eggers and two Buff Orpingtons that are all 4 weeks old and when I take them outside I notice that they keep flying into each other.
Is this a pecking order thing or are they still learning to fly and just aiming at their sisters to get to where they are and bumping into them on accident?

 

[juliawitt]

I consider that behaviour playing.......they are testing their wings and they aren't very good at it...Also, they will start "pecking" order behaviour at a young age. I wouldn't worry about it. Natural behaviour.

 

[Animalian]

my to 9 week olds do it when I put them in their outside run. Since they LOVE their run I assume its a happy play fight because they are just so excited to be out there again

My hens also do an explosive happy flap dance when I let them out to free range in the morning, in opposite directions though, not aimed at each other like the young ones do though lol
Then they all freak out and run back to each other to re-form the group

 

[mandelyn]

I think it's play. I have this little Hamburg pullet, she might be 5 weeks, not real sure. Her buddy I bought with her didn't make it so she lives with 2, 2 week old call ducklings. When I first let them out of the brooder box to play in the duck house while the ducks are out, she flits around like a lunatic jumping around, running into the ducks, making the ducks run (ducks do more of a zoom-zoom action)

The only thing the ducks don't participate in is when she drops her head and body down like a puppy would, they just stand there and blink at her so she takes off again. First time I saw her do I got a little worried about her being a he, but she does it hen style and not in the more serious boy chick way with neck feathers up. My Splash Maran hen did that when she was young too. Now she's known to just shoot up into the air on a whim and scare the heck out of the other hens. She's a riot!

 

[turbodog]

Mine started getting more serious with the pecking order scuffles at about three weeks. That flying at each other stuff seemed to be part of it, so I'd say it pecking order business.

 

[Avalon1984]

Mine do it all the time. No worries

 

[laurabonitahopkins]

My little chicks started doing that a few days ago, when they were probably only a week old! I was wondering the same thing, if it is a pecking order thing. It does seem very deliberate! It makes me laugh though, I love watching them!

 

[Roo on Harley]

They are testin the level...chest bump, back peck, stare...