Why are my chickens stamping their feet?

[mboreham1]

I free range my 4 hens most of the time, i have a beagle so when i leave i put them back in their coop. They are 24 weeks old and just got my first egg yesterday, it was tiny! So this morning i let them out as per normal for an hour or so and when i went to work i herded them along with the beagle back into their coop. The 3 RIR started stamping their feet in defiance, they follow me everywhere like you would see chicks after their mother. So is this just a case of "teenage" defiance or do i need to re assert some authority over my yard? It was quite comical and i am just interested if anyone else has seen this behavior and if so why and when?

 

[horsejody]

Are the 3 stompers roosters? That sounds like a rooster dance.

 

[mboreham1]

nope we are not allowed roosters in our area, so i have 3 RIR hens and 1 booted bantam hen. The bantam is oblivious, she just follows the 3 bigger hens. What is a rooster dance? I am new to chickens so am learning as i go.

 

[unaspenser]

Here are some youtube search results for rooster mating dances. They're really quite entertaining.

ETA:

 

[StupidBird]

are the hens kinda squatting while drumming their feet?

 

[Alleychick]

I call it the happy dance!!! Its a good way to tell if your hens are laying. They think your the rooster!!!!!

 

[mboreham1]

Yes they kinda squat, i have only had one egg and by the size i have to believe that it came from the booted bantam (sooo tiny). i think they are showing the behavior that eggs are about to start coming, 2 of the three RIR have become very vocal, their combs are super red, almost poinsettia (sp?) red! but the other RIR hardly has much comb at all. They kind of squat, especially the booted. When the dog goes up to investigate it used to run away or fly up into the tree, now it just chills and squats in front of the dog.

It was just hillarious when i came out, they knew as per the normal routine that they were headed back to the coop for a couple hours until my wife got home and the RIR's just started stamping, even the dog looked at me as if to say "do they know who the king of this castle is?!"

 

[Andi]

Let's just say they are excited, or receptive to mounting. My girls do the same thing when I try to get them to move out of the way or I reach down to pet them. I also don't have a rooster. They don't know. They are just hormonally charged. It is rather cute. Don't worry, they aren't being defiant, just sexually mature teenage chickens.

 

[mboreham1]

Cool so i have some chickens that are looking for a rooster and they think its me! Brilliant, that just made my day!

 

[Andi]

Haha! Do I hear a human rooster crowing?