Oh my! There's squatting, and then there's "SQUATTING"!

[Nonny]

So out of three chickens, only one of my girls (Florin) would ever do the egg squat. Her version of the squat was to just flatten herself right down low, tense up and quiver for just long enough for me to give her a quick scratch then she'd run off as soon as she could as if anxious to get away. It didn't seem nice for her, just a quick submission to me out of instinct. When Florin passed away, I noticed Penny (bottom of the pecking order) started doing the squat when I got near her. Today however was an eye-opener.

She came to me when I called her, squatted low, held her wings at a really odd angle so her shoulder blades were really prominent, stuck her neck up high, her tail up in the air and sort of pushed up against my hand as I gave her a good scratch. I scratched her for ages because she just kept squatting there and to be honest I was quite pleased to have a chance to have a good look at her since she never let me get that close before except after dark. I scratched her tail, back, neck... quite firm, like a massage almost.

After I decided she'd had enough I stopped scratching her and she stayed still for a few seconds and then did the biggest fluffing up of her feathers I've ever seen, like a dog shaking off bathwater from head to tail. It felt like she was about to lie back and light up a cigarette

 

[nurse_turtle]

Get a room!

 

[gryeyes]

She was just shaking out her Bed Feathers so nobody else in the flock would know what she'd been up to......

 

[Fierlin1182]

It's funny, isn't it? I've got one chook who will squat like you describe whenever I put my hand on her back.
They stamp their feet too, as if trying to get a firmer grip for some good squatting.

 

[Nonny]

Quote:
LOL I know! I felt dirty after that! *shudder*

 

[GardenGal]

I've noticed our some of our chickens squatting submissively too - not the BRs, they aren't submissive to anything! I always kind of felt bad, so it's good to know they may get something out of it too

 

[justbugged]

I just tell my girls that this old lady is a Rooster.

Some days I feel like one.

 

[partsRheavy]

Just tell 'em your name is Ruthster!!!!

 

[rancher hicks]

Gross.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I know what you mean. My girls sometimes do that in my arms.

I'm like, 'Sweetie, you can relax...

'

ray's two cents :

They stamp their feet too, as if trying to get a firmer grip for some good squatting.

My Blizzy does this to an extreme. She'll squat with her wings out and her bum practically on the ground, and shake her head while stomping across the ground. She literally stomps away from me in full squat like that.

Then I have Diana, who doesn't put her wings out when she squats, so I can never tell for sure if she is or not.

I like how when they shake off afterwards, it's always with an air of, 'Oh, how rude!'​