What does it mean when chickens fluff their entire body?

[rebecca10782]

My hens do this a lot. They will shake and then every feather will be standing up. It seems like they are annoyed, cats do this when they are scared and want to look tough.

 

[Wifezilla]

Chickens and other birds do that for warmth. The fluffing and puffing out traps air in the feathers and that helps them retain heat.

 

[jforsness]

My 3 B's do that just to shake out the cobwebs

 

[debilorrah]

Mine do that if I have been holding them and they didn't want me to.

 

[HorseFeathers]

That they're COLD!

 

[sandypaws]

many meanings......
if they just shake and fluff out and then go back to normal,, they are just fluffing and adjusting... like when they stand up after a dirt bath, shake of xtra dirt,, then return to eating or scratching.. all normal

if they fluff out, and STAY fluffed out,, and shake... they are COLD...
if they fluff out, and stay fluffed out,, and sit quietly they usually are SICK..

 

[rebecca10782]

A few of mine that hate being held will do it every time I hold them. So I am sure it is anger then. But they often do it randomly when they are running around.

 

[buckeye lady]

Means they're irritated. Remember the saying-
"don't get you feathers ruffled"

 

[PurpleChicken]

There are three kinds of fluffs. The first is a shake followed by a fluff.
That is normal and indicates comfort, amost like us stretching.

The second is the fluffed up feathers while roosting that helps them
preserve heat.

The third is the "feathers up" fluff. That is a sign of aggression.

A scared bird will not fluff. Fluffed feathers are easy to grab onto.

My birds, chickens, turkeys, quail, and Conyer fluff all the time.

 

[Sissy]

And here I thought they
were just doing the chicken dance,