Weird Behavior: The Shuffle

[plymouthrocksrock]

Is it just me, or are Chickens constantly shuffling? Shuffling, as in when they are pecking on some dirt and the top layer is unsatisfactory, so, they shuffle their little legs back and forth on the ground to expose another layer of dirt. My girls seem to do it all the time, especially when the soil looks nice and moist.
Is this happening to anyone??????

Or is it just me.........................

Thanks

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

All chickens scratch, or shuffle.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Normal chicken behavior.

 

[donrae]

It's called scratching, it's a normal behavior to turn the soil over and bring bugs and seeds to the top where they can be eaten.

 

[Hound]

If you have a rooster and he does a sideways shuffle, that's the time to watch your back!

 

[plymouthrocksrock]

Maybe chickens just constantly hear elvis music.

 

[lightfoot]

Quote:
I have a bachlor pad with 5 tophat polish roo's. today they pretended to be out of water and lured me into their pen. I was relaxed, my guard was down. after I entered, they started the circle shuffle. as I bent over the water font, they all attacked me together. flog, peck, and the old raking with claws. their screaming could be heard a mile away. "I never told them I used to be Jacky Chan's sparing partner.
I won, 3 of them were beak to the wall, 1 was giving me the stink eye and calling me names, the biggest and meanest was trying to get out of the top of the feeder. so be on guard for the chicken shuffle.
bob

 

[KensingtonHens]

Quote:

 

[jojo54]

My lame chicken, Lulu can't scratch very well because of her hip/leg. She looks like she is doing a dance step - step left foot forward, right foot forward, left foot back, right foot back. She waits until we are digging up weeds, etc and comes over for us to dig so she doesn't have to scratch.

It is funny watching baby chicks scratching - they go through the motions but don't seem to know why.

Oh BTW. Welcome to BYC.