Squatting when I pet them. What does that mean?

[farmerinKC]

My Golden Comets started squatting at about 16-17 weeks and most of them started laying then. I always pet them kind of between their wings when they do-and it sure makes it easier to catch them, which is a good thing!

I really hope my two very skittish Easter Eggers will also squat when they start laying-they are impossible to catch and I can never pet them either.

 

[Nicole01]

All I have to do to my EE is look at her in the eye and she squats for me.

 

[meowmmy65]

Quote:
When I bought my chicks, I chose 5 Australorps becasue the lady at the feed store told me they could begin laying as early as 16 weeks. They didn't, but it sounds like you'll be getting some soon.

Yay!!! Martha certainly seems like she is going to be on the early side - but I don't want to get my hopes up.

 

[meowmmy65]

This is Martha - last week. Her comb and wattle are even redder today.

 

[meowmmy65]

And we have squatting this morning! Lots of yelling and definite squatting from Martha.

 

[swansong]

All I have to do to my EE is look at her in the eye and she squats for me.


TOOOOOO Funny!

 

[swansong]

I stumbeled onto this thread through google and i'm glad i did. All 5 of my "teenagers" are bracing themselves when i go to pet them. I did not know to call it "squatting" till i found this thread. And here i just thought they really liked me.

Anyways, looking forward to some eggs from them soon. When will my rooster give them what they seek?

 

[Anniebee]

I stumbeled onto this thread through google and i'm glad i did. All 5 of my "teenagers" are bracing themselves when i go to pet them. I did not know to call it "squatting" till i found this thread. And here i just thought they really liked me.

Anyways, looking forward to some eggs from them soon. When will my rooster give them what they seek?

I too am fairly new at keeping chickens, and didn't know that the submissive posture was called squatting. I can understand it now. I have two good layers out of my tiny flock of 4 chickens. My Australian bred Araucana has been squatting for months, but produces nothing - she's 6 months old. My Barnevelder and RIR both lay every day, and occasionally squat - when they feel like it. The Welsummer ( these last 3 mentioned are now over 7 months old ) has taken to squatting and making a fair amount of noise, but that's been going on for 3 weeks now, and I check everywhere for her first egg - nothing so far. She is however, always very interested when the other two are laying - so I am hoping !! Will be nice to see a very dark brown egg one day. The Barnevelder lays brown eggs which have the tiniest darker speckles all over them, like they are mottled. My RIR lays truly pink eggs, with no markings whatsoever.. Have noticed some ppl call them light brown, but mine are definitely a pale pretty pink. Glad to have learned this 'squatting' procedure and will wait with great interest to see what happens next. AB.

 

[quailbro]

I have 6 chickens (all hens), and they all lay eggs, they all squat whenever i pat them or pick them up.hope this helps

 

[Anniebee]

I too am fairly new at keeping chickens, and didn't know that the submissive posture was called squatting. I can understand it now. I have two good layers out of my tiny flock of 4 chickens. My Australian bred Araucana has been squatting for months, but produces nothing - she's 6 months old. My Barnevelder and RIR both lay every day, and occasionally squat - when they feel like it. The Welsummer ( these last 3 mentioned are now over 7 months old ) has taken to squatting and making a fair amount of noise, but that's been going on for 3 weeks now, and I check everywhere for her first egg - nothing so far. She is however, always very interested when the other two are laying - so I am hoping !! Will be nice to see a very dark brown egg one day. The Barnevelder lays brown eggs which have the tiniest darker speckles all over them, like they are mottled. My RIR lays truly pink eggs, with no markings whatsoever.. Have noticed some ppl call them light brown, but mine are definitely a pale pretty pink. Glad to have learned this 'squatting' procedure and will wait with great interest to see what happens next. AB.

Am happy to say, that after all that squawking and squatting, my little Araucana is laying bluish olive eggs - very small. She's pretty much a bantam size chicken. AND my Welsummer after much noise and 3 weeks of squatting is also laying - very large terra cotta coloured eggs - but lighter colour than some Welsummers usually lay. Am expecting her to lay the darker eggs as she gets on towards Spring which is not until September here ( Australia ). It is one month off Winter here, and I am getting 4 eggs a day from my 4 chickens - which puzzles me a bit - I thought they'd have backed off the laying by now. !! I have weird chickens perhaps ! Cheers .....