So I have 18 chickens and recently 3 of them have been acting strange around me. Every time I get near them the squat down and hunch what looks like their shoulder blades back and freeze, its the weirdest thing! Are they scared of me or something? They are 2 Rhode island reds and a Columbian rock
Isn't it cute! Yes, it is known as the submissive squat, and as @The Colonel says, it's often a sign that they are gearing up to start laying. They will also squat for a rooster as an indication that they accept his advances to mate. If you give them a nice big pat/rub on their backs when they squat they will fluff their feathers up as they walk away, exactly as they would if a rooster had mated them. - Krista