do chickens square off like roosters?

[amdoug4]

My 2 chicks, now 15 weeks old have started to "square off". The feathers on their neck flare up, and they go nose to nose. My husband says hens do this as well as roosters. I say we have two more roosters than we thought. What do you say?

 

[muddyhorse]

yes it could be hens, or a hen and a roo, or two roos,

their just brats

 

[AKsmama]

Yes, pullets do it too. I'll repeat what I said to another poster today- there's a pecking order among cockerels, a pecking order among pullets, and a pecking order among cockerels and pullets. Quite a complicated little social system. Every single morning my 8 week olds fly around the run reinforcing the pecking order. Everybody pecks someone else at least once

I think it's hilarious when the head cockerel gets pecked by a pullet and runs off squawking! And the hackle flaring is one of my favorite things to see, very neat looking.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

my pullets fluff up and do the mid air check bump thing too. Fun to watch!

 

[MammaMoose]

Yup...girls will act like the boys. Mine will run up and chest bump each other...step back, check each other out and see who is top chicken. It's quite comcial.

 

[chicksbestfriend]

I agree with mh, they are just brats.

And askmama said it better than I could of. I second her post!