How to hold chickens?

Football hold here as well. They are used to being picked up, so they are totally calm and seem quite content to be held like that.

I would start by just sitting down with some treats and get them (and you) used to close contact and how they behave. We raised ours from day olds, so as they grew I would let them sit in my lap and hangout. My Delaware is a bit of a pecker, especially if I have a scab or something, but I can tell by the look in her eye when she is going to go for something on me and I just say 'NO' and she backs off. You need to be confident and calm. I think they can sense if you're afraid or nervous.
 
Where may I ask did you read that? chickens don't have lungs in the traditional sense. They do have air sacs that run throughout the body to circulate oxygen in addition to lungs. Holding them upside down does not hurt them.
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Mine struggle when I do the football hold (even though they can't go anywhere), but if I just slip my hand between their feet and set them on my palm, they settle instantly. They never have been picked up much so it's not that they are accustomed to being handled that way, it's just what they prefer so it works for me. Anyhow it's must easier to check them for mites that way than it is to try to look under a struggling chickens wing or butt feathers while still keeping the football hold.
 
I would never hold my chickens upside down. I hold mine football style, under my arm on my side. Some like it more than others, but I force them all to have a turn.
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I hold them with both hands on their sides holding their wings in, and then I take my fingers and tuck their feet up close to their bodies. They instantly relax (I guess) because they can wrap their toes around by fingers almost like a roost.
 

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