Mine don't squat randomly...only when I pet specific ones on the back. They don't lay down they just get really low and sometimes get poofy when I do it. Is that the squatting everyone is talking about? They don't run from me when I do so I don't think it's them being scared. They just started this recently.
That is the squatting behavior of which people speak. Not all will do it so I don't use that as an indicator of imminent lay. Squatting is a desire to mate and really has nothing to do with imminent ovulation. When hens run with a rooster they almost never squat because they're already doing it with a boy. Skittish aloof breeds won't do it either because they won't let a human that close to them.