My hens are racing around before bed

[FunnyBunny89]

My oldest hens are 19 weeks old, and my youngest are 16 weeks old. Tonight, most of them started racing around the yard, kind of charging each other but not engaging in any fighting. It looks pretty silly! Is this a hormone related activity? Or maybe it's because they've been cooped up most of the day due to the heat?
Just wondering if anyone else has hens who do this. It has been going on for a long time with a select few hens, but they would take it up a notch and fight until we got our new rooster. But now it's most of them and they aren't fighting, they're just sprinting around and posturing.
Nobody has started laying yet.

 

[GodLovesU]

Is there already a pecking order established?

 

[FunnyBunny89]

Is there already a pecking order established?

It seemed that way. I have one hen in particular who leads the charge and tries to fight with everyone. She clearly wants to stay on top. Tonight was the first night that a bunch of them were doing it. But none of them actually engaged physically, and when they finished, they all went straight to bed lol. It was a spectacle.

I've had these hens since they were babies so, maybe they're uppity from the rooster joining the flock a few days ago. Overall, they've been much more peaceful during the day since he came, no real squabbles have taken place since. This was just a funny, "hey everybody, let's run around at each other for 3 minutes!" kind of thing.

 

[GodLovesU]

That’s weird!Must just be hormones and the rooster.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

That’s weird!Must just be hormones and the rooster.

I guess so! If it happens again, maybe I can record it. It's pretty funny to see.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It's their age, teen hormones plus further development of pecking order and social structure. Most teen chickens love to play by racing around, jumping at their broodmates, chasing each other.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

It's their age, teen hormones plus further development of pecking order and social structure. Most teen chickens love to play by racing around, jumping at their broodmates, chasing each other.

How funny! I love it. My chickens remind me so much of my cats lol.

 

[The Coop Crew]

Mine do this too it’s so funny to watch. They will flap their wings while running at each other and then kind of “bump” chests. I’m constantly saying “come on ladies, be nice!”
My 6 year old is always like “mom they’re being mean to each other!!” And I have to explain that it’s normal chicken behavior but she still gets so concerned lol

 

[Loving my girls]

My girls love to run and my eldest is 5, it’s lovely to watch

 

[CombNWattles]

I don’t have a YouTube account to upload videos so here’s some stills from one where they had the zoomies XD

Spoiler: Stop-motion chickens