Does Anyone Hold Their Chickens by their Feet

[CalgaryFarmer]

I only do it when they are being uncooperative and I only do it until they settle down, which takes 10 seconds or less.

To be clear, the chicken is upside down.

 

[CascadiaRiver]

I do it for showing and checking their feet, if anything for me it makes them crazy not calms them down, Lol!

 

[LRH97]

I do it when I'm trying to catch a particularly skittish bird. My tamer ones I can just pick up comfortably, but some quickly catching a foot or leg is easiest. Once caught, I then cradle them snug against my body so their wings aren't flapping everywhere. (And they do seem a bit more comfortable that way.)

 

[MeepBeep]

I do it all the time to the less than friendly birds (usually the roos, guinea fowl or my peafowl) to look them over, delouse or when I need to gain control to administer meds or shots...

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

I have had chickens for a year and a bit and I just found this to be useful in certain circumstances.

Funny, how I am quite isolated in my chicken hobby, nobody to teach me, other than this site and my trial and error. Still, I do not recall anyone else here talking about it.

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

If a rooster is being aggressive does holding them upside down help. Some say to grab them, hold their wings and hold them to the ground until they settle down/relax. Holding them upside down would seem to be a way to assert a hierarchy as well. Does anyone do this?

 

[Madisan]

I personally do not pick my chickens up that way. But I'm not against it I know and I have seen tons and tons of people pick them up by their feet. My boyfriend actually does it. I feel like I have more control over them if I pick them up by their body so they can't flap their wings

 

[chickmomma03]

Not usually on purpose. I have when the little buggers have tried to jump out of my hands though because it just happened to be what I grabbed. I'm so worried it would hurt them though.

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

YES!!!!! Grabbing a mean roo and holding him upside down by his feet does work, and I've done it! Be careful though, there's spurs down there...

I do not normally hold them like this, as they are all tame and I just pick them up. But, when treating for mites it gets their feathers to go backward, and when putting an aggressive roo in his place, it's awesome!
It doesn't hurt them and they get over it quickly :-D

 

[MeepBeep]

If a rooster is being aggressive does holding them upside down help.

Sometimes... If I have a roo acting up I will grab him and hold him by the legs while the my daughters collect the eggs, if nothing else it removes his antics from the coop during egg collection, but generally it also seems to put them back in their place as I rarely have to do it again for a few weeks after that...