How to Carry a Chicken

[casportpony]

Great advice! I'm gonna put a link to this thread in my oral medication article.

 

[casportpony]

The relative size of the person, the chicken, and the person's hands all matter too, I'm sure.

It really does. With smaller birds I can do the one handed method, but larger ones, like 12+ pound muscular Muscovy drakes, or 9-15 pound squirrelly peafowl, they require both hands.

 

[KyCoop]

I have small hands so I have to grab and "football" as quick as possible. I can't hold the wings down with just my hands. Once tucked into my arm I can hold feet or shut doors or wave at the neighbors.

 

[aart]

Head in front would make controlling the wings with the holding arm easier. I find that tucking the head in under my upper arm keeps them calmer.

Exactly!

When I lay them down on my lap, I cover the head with a small towel if needed.

 

[3KillerBs]

Exactly!

When I lay them down on my lap, I cover the head with a small towel if needed.

I've gotten into the habit of carrying trauma shears in my pocket and can clip wings on a POL pullet by myself while standing right outside the fence with her body pinned under my arm against my ribs, head in my armpit, wing spread by my left hand, trauma shears in the right.

An adult hen or a cockerel requires an assistant or the ability to sit down -- which presents it's own challenges with the feet getting purchase and leverage.

I've noticed that they respond much better to being handled with confidence and reasonable firmness than with excessive diffidence. I can't blame the 16yo for excessive care though. He's 6' tall, klutzy in his growth, and has legitimate reason to worry about hurting them because he really doesn't know how strong he is from one day to the next.

 

[3KillerBs]

Good advice for wild chickens, but does not apply to my girls! They are sweet and come calm and I hold them like pets.

I have two of them that I can move from nest box to perch with them sitting on my hand like a parrot. But I'd never try to move them outside the coop that way.

Remember, I posted this because I lost a bird overnight. It turned out that the owls, raccoons, and coyotes *didn't* get him, but they easily could have.

 

[3KillerBs]

I 'football' them, wings held by my body and arm, fingers wrapped around their breast bone. Tilted to keep feet from grabbing/touching me.
Usually once the wings are pinned they stop struggling.

Head in or head out?

It's quite likely that you have larger hands and longer arms than I have. Most people do.

I have small hands so I have to grab and "football" as quick as possible. I can't hold the wings down with just my hands. Once tucked into my arm I can hold feet or shut doors or wave at the neighbors.

That's what I thought before Thursday night when Red broke loose.

I'd been carrying the persistent escapee, Yellow, around that way for several weeks without any risk of losing him. But Red got away as described.

 

[3KillerBs]

Head in front, pooper in back.

I could barely get both hands around my full grown males,
luckily have had little need to handle them often.
I suppose my hands are larger than many women.

Head in front would make controlling the wings with the holding arm easier. I find that tucking the head in under my upper arm keeps them calmer.

Also, I use the same hold when I need to change bands, clip wings, etc.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I 'football' them, wings held by my body and arm, fingers wrapped around their breast bone. Tilted to keep feet from grabbing/touching me.
Usually once the wings are pinned they stop struggling.

This is what I usually do.

Head in or head out?

It's quite likely that you have larger hands and longer arms than I have. Most people do.



That's what I thought before Thursday night when Red broke loose.

I'd been carrying the persistent escapee, Yellow, around that way for several weeks without any risk of losing him. But Red got away as described.

I football mine and I’m quite petite with small hands/wrists.

If I have a large rooster that’s feeling particularly feisty I’ll put the head facing my back with wings trapped under my left arm and my right hand holding both legs above the ankle with the legs fully extended so they can’t kick.

 

[sdm111]

Good advice for wild chickens, but does not apply to my girls! They are sweet and come calm and I hold them like pets.

Till something startles them and you get your eye scratched out