Any other Baby chicks doing this?

[Canarygirl]

This is so funny. My chicks will run head on to each other and bump chests. I quess that's where to term "playing chicken" comes from. I'm thinking that they are Roo's. I guess it's a alpha thing.

 

[rosyposyosy]

thats what my 2 roos did as chicks. unfortunatly it was out of 3

. i got rid of 1 as a chick (the meaner one) and i got rid of my other one around 3 months, after he had been crowing for a month.

 

[justusnak]

Hens will do this chest bumping as well. It called figureing out the pecking order. They will be fine....just make sure it doesnt go too far.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, all my young chicks did it. It's so funny to see tiny birds chest bumping. Roo's when they grow up, do more of a face stare then bump to figure out who's top.

 

[Southern28Chick]

My girls are 14 weeks old and they do it ALL the time. My 1 year old roo has done it to ME!!! He runs full steed at me and bumps my leg.

 

[GoodEgg]

My little Jap roo frizzes out his neck feathers and makes faces at the other banty roos. Sometimes several of them make the neck frizz and jump at each other. It's so funny, but when I am close by I always make them stop.

I have read that we are supposed to stop them, because that's what the alpha roo would do. It's supposed to give you a head start in letting them know you are boss, so *hopefully* they don't attack YOU later.

When they were little and did the chest bumping thing, I would put my hand between them, and bump back anyone who bumped my hand after that, or kept trying to fight.

It *is* funny though, and sometimes I watch them from inside, so it's not like I'm "allowing" it.

trish

 

[Southern28Chick]

When my girls would bump or peck my blind pullet I would poke them like I was pecking at them. Sometimes they would try to peck me but when I keep doing it they would stop and go on about my business.

 

[Fancy Feather Poultry]

My chickens do that, its just like if ones in the way of the other, or one steps on the other ones foot they go toe to toe like "You want some punk!?" and the other would would be like "Don't be gettin all up in my grill homie".

Its so funny!

 

[ruth]

Mine did that while they were confined to their pen/run and though they are 15 weeks old now still do it if I don't open their run and let them out. Seems that while confined there is a pecking order - while out free ranging everyone loves everyone - they keep together, sleep together and never fight. Put the 8 of them back in their 30' x 60' run and all bets are off. That's yet another reason I let mine free-range - they are so happy and everyone gets along.

 

[GoodEgg]

For what it's worth ...

My chicks have mostly worked things out I guess. It's really only the little Jap roo that goes after the other roos most of the time.

But when I let them out (I've been letting them free-range for a couple of hours supervised before I put them up) it seems it erupts again. One will fly from 15 feet away to pounce on someone else, and there's all kinds of squaring off going on. Maybe it's because they are new at it; I've only been allowing it for about 5 days now. Seems like I remember every time there's a major change in their lives, they start with the chest bumping again.

It IS funny though.

trish