Does Anyone Hold Their Chickens by their Feet

[donrae]

I do, but also not usually on purpose. I'd rather pick them up by the body, but sometimes they're slippery little suckers and a leg is all I can catch.

The exception to this is when we're butchering. Cockerels often get carried by the feet to the killing station. Something about being upside down for a few minutes makes them quiet.

 

[aart]

So far, only during butchering to get them into the cone.

 

[jessbe]

Would this work on an aggressive female? One of my girls are getting aggressive towards me, and I don't really know how to stop it.

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

Would this work on an aggressive female? One of my girls are getting aggressive towards me, and I don't really know how to stop it.

It worked with mine! I had a rooster I never should have bred who was totally rotten. Had two chicks: A roo and hen. Got rid of the roo asap, and the hen turned out pretty mean. Held her upside down a few times and she's fine now :-D Her Daddy's long gone, and never again will I breed a mean rooster!

 

[allpeepedout]

There are some other threads on this issue, and apparently chickens are very different from us and have great difficulty breathing upside down and can eventually die. There are a few posts about chickens that have died or nearly died being trapped upside down.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyar...e-to-hold-my-rooster-upside-down-by-H101.aspx

 

[chickmomma03]

Quote: Try the picking her up, putting her under your arm, and carrying her around thing. Maybe it will help. None of my hens are mean except for one who likes to nip out of fear (NOT my fault). I hold her in my hands (she's still fairly small) until she chills out. If I tip her a little toward me and shh shh her she looks at me like hi, I know you and she's fine. It's kind of weird.

 

[jessbe]

Thank you I will do that today! She is a buff orphington and she tried to scratch me and she actually took alike of my glove and shook it ( like dog with their toy) so that needs to stop asap. She pecked me hard on the back of the hand too with my glove on didn't do any damage due to the glove thankfully but it hurt..

It worked with mine! I had a rooster I never should have bred who was totally rotten. Had two chicks: A roo and hen. Got rid of the roo asap, and the hen turned out pretty mean. Held her upside down a few times and she's fine now :-D Her Daddy's long gone, and never again will I breed a mean rooster!

Try the picking her up, putting her under your arm, and carrying her around thing. Maybe it will help. None of my hens are mean except for one who likes to nip out of fear (NOT my fault). I hold her in my hands (she's still fairly small) until she chills out. If I tip her a little toward me and shh shh her she looks at me like hi, I know you and she's fine. It's kind of weird.

 

[chickmomma03]

Quote: Yea, thankfully most of mine don't peck on purpose. Just the one out of fear. When I hold her like that it helps for a while. I don't like intentional pecking. My roo is about to be held like this again because he's being a little jerk. Tried to "corral" me again this morning (he does this thing where he shakes his foot and charges kind of sideways and bumps, but USUALLY it's only at the hens). I think he was mad this morning because I was late opening the coop haha (not that late, but later than normal).

 

[jessbe]

Ok just did that for like what it felt like 10min and I walked with her around our yard and she was doing her *growling* sounds at me the whole time but she didn't peck at me meanfully but just at my shirt and the writing on my gloves (a yellow flower) I'll do it again tomorrow if she does it again

Yea, thankfully most of mine don't peck on purpose. Just the one out of fear. When I hold her like that it helps for a while. I don't like intentional pecking. My roo is about to be held like this again because he's being a little jerk. Tried to "corral" me again this morning (he does this thing where he shakes his foot and charges kind of sideways and bumps, but USUALLY it's only at the hens). I think he was mad this morning because I was late opening the coop haha (not that late, but later than normal).

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

just did that for like what it felt like 10min

jessbe, it is not clear what you were doing for 10 minutes. I would not hold a hen upside down for 10 minutes.