The squating thing.

[Woodcox Acre]

Can anyone explain to me about the squating thing with chickens. I've heard it mentioned a bit on here, but don't really understand it. I have six pullets about 6- 7 months. two have recently ( in the last two weeks ) started laying and we were thrilled. Well one of them did and does the squating and will then let me pet her, the other one never did. Well today when I went out to shoo them our of the bark around some flowers, one of the barred rock squated right down by me and let me pet her. She had never done that before. What can you tell me about it?

 

[TrystInn]

The hens are signaling that they are receptive for breeding by a rooster. They do it to humans, dogs, etc. as well.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

That's correct, it's a good indicator that a pullet is mature enough for laying. Not every pullet will do that, some do it more than others. It usually happens when you're petting them along their backs, or just approaching them from behind. Something triggers their "get ready" response and they assume the pose they'd use to enable a rooster to more easily mount them.

Pullets who are not yet this mature will run away squawking bloody murder when approached by interested roosters. So when they show this indication of willingness to breed it's a hopeful sign that they'll soon begin laying eggs.

It can begin several weeks before you see the first egg. I have a pen full of pullets just 21 weeks old. A few of them have been squatting when petted for a while now, but only this week have they begun to lay.

 

[Woodcox Acre]

Thank you that is very interesting. Do they grow out of it? Or will they continue to do it.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

It seems that they grow out of it, I notice this behavior mostly in young pullets. Although my 5-year-old guinea hen sometimes will squat when I am walking behind her, I figure she does this because she is our only guinea, and lonely...

 

[BWKatz]

I have hens 18mo that are still squatting, don't know if they'll continue.but they're not lonely.