hens doing the rooster dance

[calvincoop]

I have two hens that I've been keeping in the house for the past week because they are fighting egg yolk peritonitis. this last weekend the weather here was just lovely, sunny and no rain! My girls were feeling much better so I decided to let them out for some fresh air. my rooster Floyd was very ecstatic to see them and immediately started doing his little dance around them. then I caught two of my hens doing the dance too. I've never seen that before.

 

[Den in Penn]

Interesting. Were they the ones that were left outside doing it to the ones that were inside? I believe its was them trying to show dominance.

 

[clucknpeck]

Is the rooster dance when they run up to each other with their chests puffed out, and kind of hop around each other?
I have three chicks in a brooder together all doing this to each other, and I too am very curious about it because the lady who gave me the chicks thought 2 were pullets.

 

[Den in Penn]

The rooster drops a wing and shuffle steps around the hen. As chicks they will do mock fights, ruff out, chest bump, and hop around. Pullets as well as cockerels do this.

 

[calvincoop]

Interesting.  Were they the ones that were left outside doing it to the ones that were inside?  I believe its was them trying to show dominance.

Yes the outside girls were doing it to the girls that were inside and it was the circle dance where they drop a wing to the ground and shuffle step around the hen. I agree it was a display of dominance but it really caught me off guard. I'm wondering if they learned it from my rooster or its in some way programmed in their brains naturally. either way it was pretty funny.

 

[SuperChickMama]

I read on a post earlier where if a hen is the Roo's fave she will have no back feathers..... well my roo's fave hen does this rooster dance!! I've noticed it for the past week (ever since my roo has become more aggressive)!! I think it's time to take his girls away..... maybe everyone will calm down!

 

[Mikaela Taylor]

Hello! My new "pullets" I've been sold are doing this as well! I haven't put them in with my other hens and roosters yet because they are still quite small.

Did you ever figure out why they did this? I'm afraid I've been sold cockerels AGAIN. They are silkies so they are incredibly hard to sex.

 

[Cristalzita]

I have two silkies in my brood this year, one turned out to be a cockerel and started dancing, then a month later started crowing. The other silkie acted like the rest of the hens, but today I noticed her do the tiniest dance towards me, which is what the last silkie did before they "became" a rooster. But that was almost two months ago when the first silkie started to crow. They are about 6 months old now, could she be a rooster as well? ;-;