"Chest Bumping"

[MN Girl in MS]

I had questioned week or so ago about getting chicks outside. We did it gradually, I did force them out the first day, because I had to clean their house, but as soon as I opened the door back in, all six scrambled up the ramp back in. But now over a week, they are going in and out on their own.
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I love watching them, one behavior I've noticed is the "chest bump." Two of them will come at each other with chest pushed out and do a "chest bump." There's no other fighting or pecking, they just bump each other and go back to whatever they were doing. I am assuming this is normal and is just a little status setting play.

 

[Judy]

Yes, it's just more pecking order / top position stuff, or even just playing at future pecking order stuff. It might be more common between cockerels than pullets, but they all do it.