Handling your meat birds

[r devries]

Carrying by the legs is a good technique, just never swing them ( if lifting up, lift up dont swing them up, this will result in broken legs), I carry my own birds this way and many commercial birds when catching.

 

[booker81]

Yup, you do need to be careful with them because they turn to dead weight. If I'm moving mine, when I set them down, I lay them gently so they don't bonk their head or get the neck twisted, sort of just lay them down on their breast/belly and release the legs, so they can get up when they come out of the zone. You need to make sure they aren't swinging (joint stress as mentioned) or that you don't bonk them on something. Done correctly, it causes minimal stress to the critter.

 

[chick-among-us]

Well I can tell you FIRST I am no expert. But for us I try to handle my PET chickens calmly and most of them will come to me to get picked up...matter of fact you better be careful since some of them will stay so close you will step on them by accident because they are trying to get so close....they are not nessasarily looking to treats but just "love" petting and such. They love to sit in our laps and are pretty adamant about it. lol....my roosters which we slaughter for meat accasionally ....yes we handle them that way...you can carry more birds that way and while it might look unkind it will calm them being upside down. roosters will often not hang quietly at first,it is their nature to fight so you just push them down (once down they won't normallycome back up flapping!)...to hang quietly. if you hate that...you can hold them and tuck their heads under their wing, then they dont fuss either..Hate to admit it but I can carry about six birds hanging them upside down and some of our roos are big boys..they seem to get quiet when the other birds are with them. I put my finger between their legs so the bones of their legs don't rub, to put them down I give a tiny swing (so no heads are caught under anyone) and lay all birds in that hand on the ground and let go, they jump right up.....its farm life, kinda like the processing part...not my favorite...but I love chicken raised on good earth and by our own hands and they have a great life and they arent scared when they go...important for me.

 

[Life is Good!]

I handle my small flock of Black Java's upside down and I did my FR's as well (before they went to Camp Frigidaire).

If you need to move a large number of birds and don't wish it to take all day - this is quick, easy on the birds and causes less stress (on all of you!). I agree though, you've got to put them down easy on their chest and careful of their wings and head - but it's an easy twist of the wrist when you've done it enough.

Have you ever tried to hold two nearly grown chickens at the same time?! Impossible. And if one starts flapping, it causes MORE distress among the flock and flusters you (which they can read) also. Not worth it.

Our FR's we weighed every week on Wednesday, their hatch day. So ours got so very used to us handling them that they frankly were surprised to find themselves in the cone instead of on the scale! Only two of 25 complained about it though! I must have missed weighing them often enough! Handling is not a bad thing. You get to learn how they are growing, can feel the muscle development and get to meet some fabulous, funny critters. Was I attached? Not really. Only when they were little. When they got bigger, I found myself standing at the gate drooling over their 'drumsticks'!

 

[Island Roo]

I just moved 25 x 17 day old CX from the brooder to their outside location.

I started with my usual "gentle like it's an injured animal with 4 broken legs" routine. Then I tried grabbing the legs and flipping. The ones I did that way were easier to deal with - and like some have said probably easier on the bird.

I find putting the bird down is easy using the instructions above. What the technique to pick them up - get grab and lift in one motion? It doesn't feel right - so after a few I went back to the wing-grab.

 

[booker81]

To pick up, I grab the legs, and pick them up, and if I have a free hand, I grab the neck and hold it down. It's hard to explain If I get their head down as I'm bringing their feet up, they don't move at all. It's when they get their heads up that they will flap a bit.

If I don't have a free hand (grabbing more than one), I'll usually use my leg or the wall to guide their head down - not hitting it, but sliding it gently to sort of prevent it from lifting up. I don't suggest that technique until you're really comfortable handling them by the legs, as too much pressure the wrong way can give them injuries.