[video]What is this chicken doing? Is she gasping? Choking? Yawning?

[KaseySnow]

So I have noticed some of the hens in the flock doing this every once in a while. Does it mean anything?
I caught the old Brahma hen doing it a couple of times on video. What do you think?

(Sorry for the noisy Dominique in the foreground, she walked up to me looking for treats when I squatted down. At least, I think that's what she was after. I was also blocking her way to the nesting boxes so maybe she was scolding me. )

Occasionally some of the other hens will do it too. Not all day or anything, just like...every once in a while. No sound accompanies it that I can hear.
Usually the chicken doing it will do it a few times in a row like this and then stop.

 

[bill3607]

Burp I think, possibly.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

She’s adjusting her crop. Harmless and normal, unless they do it excessively.

 

[chickentrains]

Adjusting crop

 

[chickentrains]

my domi is also very loud and demanding, lol

 

[KaseySnow]

She’s adjusting her crop. Harmless and normal, unless they do it excessively.

Ooooh, interesting! I was not aware of this behavior, but I feel a lot better now and won't stress when I see it. Thank you!

 

[CHlCKEN]

It happens. Can be alarming but it’s normal behavior. It’s a crop thing like the others said

 

[KaseySnow]

my domi is also very loud and demanding, lol

Haha, oh good, glad ours isn't broken then.

 

[FeatherTay]

It happens. Can be alarming but it’s normal behavior. It’s a crop thing like the others said

May I ask what “adjusting the crop means?”

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

May I ask what “adjusting the crop means?”

It means that the chicken is sort of moving the food in their crop to a better position. I don’t know how to explain it properly. Mine usually do it after eating a lot of feed quickly or after eating a variety of scraps.