My two biggest hens have started....

[Scrambled Egg]

crouching down with their wings out alittle and get very still when I pet them. It seems like this would be submissive behavior to a rooster but we re-homed him over a month ago. My Doms are about 7 months old now and not laying yet. I was wondering if this was normal behavior? I certainly makes it easier to pick them up an pet them but they really have just started doing it in the past two weeks. What do ya'll think? Geez, I would sure rather be thought of by my chickens as Momma hen rather than Momma rooster, that creeps me out alittle, lol!!!

ps- Have a great day --gotta get off this board and ready for work or won't be able to feed the chickens, then that "killer chicken" video will be played out at my house!!

 

[lurky]

Mine started doing that just before they started laying.

 

[gretchen]

It's the first sign, mine all started what I refer to as the chicken dance right before laying. They squat down for me and tap their little feet up and down, sometimes in a circle. When I pet them, they will raise their tails and when I stop they stand up and shake kind of like a wet dog and puff up their feathers, it makes me laugh every time, it's like they say "ahhhhh, that was good" and walk off to light up a cigarette! I have to say it does chill them out, even two of my more high strung birds started to be less nervous after, now they all gather round me and get a little petting everyday and it makes them much easier to round up when they escape over my fence... gotta work on that fence thing today... good luck, enjoy your eggs!

 

[speckledhen]

They'll probably do it their entire lives. I have girls who will squat for me and my DH, but not the rooster, LOL. Hey, we were here first! The girls know who the Top Roo is and it isn't Hawkeye.

 

[doghamstyluv95]

A few of mine do that when I come up to them. I've also noticed that they do that when the rooster comes in back of them so its a submissive behavior to the rooster. But I really don't want to be thought of as a "roo."

 

[joanm]

Both my buff orps squat, but my australorps don't.

 

[CarriBrown]

Quote:
Poor Hawkeye!

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Well, I look forward to their laying soon but the crouching tiger hidden chicken thing is alittle wierd, haha!!! I saw Rosey tappping her little feet when she squatted tonight, so ya'll were right on with the similarities in your posts to what I am seeing. Thanks for the help --maybe I'll have eggs soon! My Dachsund rooted a teeny mouse - baby I guess, out from under the little plank of stairs to the nesting boxes tonight --geez, mice carry diseases but I'm afraid to encourage the outside cat into the backyard becasue he will eat birds ---maybe even big birds, like chickens so now I have to figure what to do about the mouse (mice?) --any suggestions?