Chicken etiquette?

[Shadrach]

Hello wise chicken tenders, I am hoping someone can give me some experienced advice on chicken etiquette, from their POV. Please excuse my ignorance, I've owned every animal but chickens - other than a rooster when I was a kid that acted like a puppy and never had any issue with being touched or held.

I have had four 4-month old pullets since 2 days old. I have spent alot of time with them almost every day since getting them but they act as though I have ALOT of nerve if I dare reach out and stroke one, let alone pick them up. However, if something scares them, there is a cloud of chickens flying straight for my face and they land on my neck, chest, arms, squawking and trying to press themselves against me. Then they want full body, heart to heart hugs, and scrabble with each other to get the prized spot. (Like under mama hen wings?)

But, I can hang out with them for 4 hours straight and have one in my lap, reach down to feel that floofy softness, and they react as though I am ridiculously rude. Scold me with utmost sass and huff off offended. Ten minutes later, I walk into their coop at dusk to make sure all in order and they are clamoring over who gets the full body hug, literally en masse.

I am ashamed to admit this is the golden hour to me, hugging a chicken is delightful, but I've also gone to great lengths (many many hours over 2 months) making sure everything is optimal and comfortable for them with a new build coop with 3 screened and HW clothed windows for ventilation, 2 large passive vents, 8 intake and exhaust fans, two 4" wide roosts x 8 feet length, and a timer nightlight just for dusk that I eventually removed because it kept them fussing longer. They also come in and out of the coop all day, napping on the sand floor, so I have ruled out anything stressing them in the coop. They have a 66 sq foot run attached to the coop with box fans and misters, with just short bits of supervised free range because its too hot outside their enclosure right now. And because we live in the woods and sight multiple predators daily.

I also have a coop cam, and after fussing about position for 2-3 minutes after I leave, they sleep like logs all night (I work nightshift and check more than I want to admit).

They really seem like a bird that requires consent to be touched lol but how do I get them used to being picked up and held peacefully during the day if their answer is always "no way, lady!"? Is this just normal behavior for them being a small prey animal, still unsure about the world, and hormonal teenagers? Should I just pick them up and football carry them until they get over it? Trust with a prey animal is tenous, but I lack the experience with chickens to know the line.

I really hesitated to post this because some may consider it goofy but its taking up alot of bandwidth pondering it. When I take on what I consider stewardship of an animal, no matter how small or common, I try my best to do the best I can for them.

Thank you!

The only time in nature (more or less) that a hen has her wings restrained is during mating with a rooster who stands on the hens shoulders and pins her wings to the ground while holding onto the scruff of her neck with his beak.
Most chicken keepers go for the full body grab, a hand either side of the body restraining the wings. Most hens don't like this from anyone apart from their rooster.


"There is something chickens don’t want you to know about their physiology. They have at least three involuntary reactions that I know of. One of these reactions can keep you out of the hospital, or morgue when trying to get a chicken out of a tree, or a lot of other high places come to that.
There is an area between a chickens knee joint and it’s ankle that if you apply firm pressure to, the chickens involuntary reaction is to step back and grasp whatever it is behind them."

An extract from this article.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/getting-chickens-out-of-trees-and-into-their-coops.75511/

The above is helpful for chickens that are stationary but not much help if one needs to catch one.

What one should never do when trying to catch a chicken is grab one wing or one leg! Legs dislocate very easily and wing muscles tear.
What one can do is grab a large handful of tail feathers and I do mean a handful and then slide the other hand from the front under the hens chest making sure your forefinger and middle finger go either side of the hens thigh with your palm supporting her weight and lift.

The consent part comes with trust and time.

 

[Bsmac]

The only time in nature (more or less) that a hen has her wings restrained is during mating with a rooster who stands on the hens shoulders and pins her wings to the ground while holding onto the scruff of her neck with his beak.
Most chicken keepers go for the full body grab, a hand either side of the body restraining the wings. Most hens don't like this from anyone apart from their rooster.


"There is something chickens don’t want you to know about their physiology. They have at least three involuntary reactions that I know of. One of these reactions can keep you out of the hospital, or morgue when trying to get a chicken out of a tree, or a lot of other high places come to that.
There is an area between a chickens knee joint and it’s ankle that if you apply firm pressure to, the chickens involuntary reaction is to step back and grasp whatever it is behind them."

An extract from this article.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/getting-chickens-out-of-trees-and-into-their-coops.75511/

The above is helpful for chickens that are stationary but not much help if one needs to catch one.

What one should never do when trying to catch a chicken is grab one wing or one leg! Legs dislocate very easily and wing muscles tear.
What one can do is grab a large handful of tail feathers and I do mean a handful and then slide the other hand from the front under the hens chest making sure your forefinger and middle finger go either side of the hens thigh with your palm supporting her weight and lift.

The consent part comes with trust and time.

Well said!

 

[Karlkurla Chooks]

Well, this makes me feel much better. Watching FB reels and other things, you'd think chickens are as cuddly as kittens! This is a relief, maybe they're just meant to admire and not really touch lol

Facebook Reels are unfortunately not real at all. They give a false sense of reality, so a consequence you feel worthless.


I love my chickens, but only one of them likes me to pick her up and pet her, yet only briefly.

 

[Bsmac]

Facebook Reels are unfortunately not real at all. They give a false sense of reality, so a consequence you feel worthless.


I love my chickens, but only one of them likes me to pick her up and pet her, yet only briefly.

Sometimes it takes a while to build trust with them I have found! I would keep trying!

 

[Bsmac]

Sometimes it takes a while to build trust with them I have found! I would keep trying!

I traded some apples from our small orchard to an Amish friend of mine a couple yours ago. In return I got 4 light Brahma`s and 5 ISA brown pullets just short of coming into lay. It took time, but I can handle them all very easily one even turned into a snuggling lap chicken!

 

[Caitboyce]

Hello wise chicken tenders, I am hoping someone can give me some experienced advice on chicken etiquette, from their POV. Please excuse my ignorance, I've owned every animal but chickens - other than a rooster when I was a kid that acted like a puppy and never had any issue with being touched or held.

I have had four 4-month old pullets since 2 days old. I have spent alot of time with them almost every day since getting them but they act as though I have ALOT of nerve if I dare reach out and stroke one, let alone pick them up. However, if something scares them, there is a cloud of chickens flying straight for my face and they land on my neck, chest, arms, squawking and trying to press themselves against me. Then they want full body, heart to heart hugs, and scrabble with each other to get the prized spot. (Like under mama hen wings?)

But, I can hang out with them for 4 hours straight and have one in my lap, reach down to feel that floofy softness, and they react as though I am ridiculously rude. Scold me with utmost sass and huff off offended. Ten minutes later, I walk into their coop at dusk to make sure all in order and they are clamoring over who gets the full body hug, literally en masse.

I am ashamed to admit this is the golden hour to me, hugging a chicken is delightful, but I've also gone to great lengths (many many hours over 2 months) making sure everything is optimal and comfortable for them with a new build coop with 3 screened and HW clothed windows for ventilation, 2 large passive vents, 8 intake and exhaust fans, two 4" wide roosts x 8 feet length, and a timer nightlight just for dusk that I eventually removed because it kept them fussing longer. They also come in and out of the coop all day, napping on the sand floor, so I have ruled out anything stressing them in the coop. They have a 66 sq foot run attached to the coop with box fans and misters, with just short bits of supervised free range because its too hot outside their enclosure right now. And because we live in the woods and sight multiple predators daily.

I also have a coop cam, and after fussing about position for 2-3 minutes after I leave, they sleep like logs all night (I work nightshift and check more than I want to admit).

They really seem like a bird that requires consent to be touched lol but how do I get them used to being picked up and held peacefully during the day if their answer is always "no way, lady!"? Is this just normal behavior for them being a small prey animal, still unsure about the world, and hormonal teenagers? Should I just pick them up and football carry them until they get over it? Trust with a prey animal is tenous, but I lack the experience with chickens to know the line.

I really hesitated to post this because some may consider it goofy but its taking up alot of bandwidth pondering it. When I take on what I consider stewardship of an animal, no matter how small or common, I try my best to do the best I can for them.

Thank you!

I have 2 pullets and 2 hens and find that my Lavender Orpington hens are the most affectionate. I think they’d probably follow me into the gaping maws of hell if they thought there’d be snuggles at the end of the trip. My Olive Egger is now laying and she uses me as a roost and waiting for her under wing massage. The French Brisse pullet? She believes I’m a serial killer who should be spending life in prison…. I think a lot of it is breed-related and a lot of it is our chicken sisters exercising their independence. They’ll want the vote soon. Your girls obviously love you so give it time!

PS. There is, quite literally, nothing better than chicken hugs.

 

[pelicanchook]

Hello wise chicken tenders, I am hoping someone can give me some experienced advice on chicken etiquette, from their POV. Please excuse my ignorance, I've owned every animal but chickens - other than a rooster when I was a kid that acted like a puppy and never had any issue with being touched or held.

I have had four 4-month old pullets since 2 days old. I have spent alot of time with them almost every day since getting them but they act as though I have ALOT of nerve if I dare reach out and stroke one, let alone pick them up. However, if something scares them, there is a cloud of chickens flying straight for my face and they land on my neck, chest, arms, squawking and trying to press themselves against me. Then they want full body, heart to heart hugs, and scrabble with each other to get the prized spot. (Like under mama hen wings?)

But, I can hang out with them for 4 hours straight and have one in my lap, reach down to feel that floofy softness, and they react as though I am ridiculously rude. Scold me with utmost sass and huff off offended. Ten minutes later, I walk into their coop at dusk to make sure all in order and they are clamoring over who gets the full body hug, literally en masse.

I am ashamed to admit this is the golden hour to me, hugging a chicken is delightful, but I've also gone to great lengths (many many hours over 2 months) making sure everything is optimal and comfortable for them with a new build coop with 3 screened and HW clothed windows for ventilation, 2 large passive vents, 8 intake and exhaust fans, two 4" wide roosts x 8 feet length, and a timer nightlight just for dusk that I eventually removed because it kept them fussing longer. They also come in and out of the coop all day, napping on the sand floor, so I have ruled out anything stressing them in the coop. They have a 66 sq foot run attached to the coop with box fans and misters, with just short bits of supervised free range because its too hot outside their enclosure right now. And because we live in the woods and sight multiple predators daily.

I also have a coop cam, and after fussing about position for 2-3 minutes after I leave, they sleep like logs all night (I work nightshift and check more than I want to admit).

They really seem like a bird that requires consent to be touched lol but how do I get them used to being picked up and held peacefully during the day if their answer is always "no way, lady!"? Is this just normal behavior for them being a small prey animal, still unsure about the world, and hormonal teenagers? Should I just pick them up and football carry them until they get over it? Trust with a prey animal is tenous, but I lack the experience with chickens to know the line.

I really hesitated to post this because some may consider it goofy but its taking up alot of bandwidth pondering it. When I take on what I consider stewardship of an animal, no matter how small or common, I try my best to do the best I can for them.

Thank you!

Wow, I would love to have my girls behaving like this, you are very lucky. My flock, who live in the comfort of Cluckingham Palace, treat me like a palace maidservant, whose only function is to bring them food, and keep their premises clean. I think I must have got them too late (18 weeks) to convince them that they would like to be picked up and cuddled. Good luck - your girls are obviously living in luxury.

 

[Vicker]

When I first got chickens, many moons ago, I loved taming them enough for them to choose to jump on me or allow me to pick them up any time. What I've observed over the years is that the tamest ones were the ones that predators had no problem catching, as well. The ones that squat when you reach over them are the worst. They squat for predators. Now, as I'm more hands-off, they grow up to be comfortable with me, but most don't enjoy being picked up.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

What I've observed over the years is that the tamest ones were the ones that predators had no problem catching, as well

Wise words.

 

[birdlady11]

You sound like a great chicken mom. I want to be your chicken in my next life!

What BlindLemonChicken said is absolutely correct - chickens are prey animals and are always watchful of things coming from the sky to get them. Things (hawks/hands) coming over them can feel threatening. Thus reaching to pet them from above can make them uncomfortable or nervous.

As any chick mom has seen, chicks feel safe and sleepy as soon as they tuck under mom, which can be replicated by placing a hand gently on a chick's head - they'll zonk right out and collapse to sleep.

Knowing that, I always raised my hatchlings to expect me to slide my hand under them from ground level past their chests to rest under their breast bone and belly, initially leaving their feet still touching the ground. Then I place my hand on their head and bam! - eyes close and out they go. They quickly learn that my hand coming UNDER them rather than OVER them is not a threatening gesture but rather an enjoyable way to have a nap.

I don't try to lift them up until they feel comfortable relaxing onto my palm. Chickens always have their feet touching something - the ground, a perch, the nest box floor. So having their feet dangling with no solid ground underneath is not something they feel comfortable about. When they start to relax into my palm I know I can gently lift them up (other hand touching their head and back so they feel secure).

This is just my way of teaching my girls to relax and think of the touch as an enjoyable or at least tolerable thing. No matter how old my girls get they all accept that hand coming in low and will stand perfectly still to either be petted, picked up, or treated. Granted, I do have some wacky chickens who just don't want to be touched no matter what (you win some, you lose some). This is just my way of teaching the kids to accept handling. I guess we each have to find a way that works for us and our chickens.