How to pick up a hen?

[disrhythmic]

My flock is pretty friendly. They'll all hop up onto my lap (or shoulder, or head... ouch) and let me pat them, but heaven forbid I try to pick one up. Some are better than others, but the most I can really do is scoop one up and very quickly deposit it elsewhere. No cuddling or chance to examine them if the need might arise. My Sassy will really freak out though--she'll make this pathetic little coo and give the biggest full-body feathershake I've ever seen.

At first I was holding them under the belly and chest and keeping their wings down with my thumbs, but then I saw a video that suggested holding them more from the top/around the wings, if that makes sense. They don't seem to be fond of either method. Am I doing it wrong, or is it just a matter of practice?

 

[trsturself]

None of my chickens LIKE to be picked up but they settle down once I have them.
4H teaches that you put your hand under the chicken with your two middle fingers between the legs, clamp the legs with your outside fingers, then you can hold a wing down with your thumb (if your hands are big enough). Then for birds that aren't used to being held, I hold the wings with my other hand and hold them close to my body.

 

[disrhythmic]

None of my chickens LIKE to be picked up but they settle down once I have them.
4H teaches that you put your hand under the chicken with your two middle fingers between the legs, clamp the legs with your outside fingers, then you can hold a wing down with your thumb (if your hands are big enough). Then for birds that aren't used to being held, I hold the wings with my other hand and hold them close to my body.

Gotcha! So for a wiggly bird, you'd have one hand underneath and one over top?

 

[trsturself]

Yes that's correct.
Here's a couple pics that demonstrate it. Although the bottom pic shows only one finger between the legs, I think that depends on the size of your hands.

 

[Alex15]

I find my chickens strange as my sussex and australorps are my main lap sitters who enjoy a pat (the sussex the most) but my wyandotte and welsummers will only jump on me if they think I have food (and run when I give them a pat) BUT my sussex HATES being picked up, the australorps will sometimes chill in my arms, but the wyandotte and the welsummers chill in my arms for up to 5 minutes! Go figure.

I pick mine up around the middle and then sort of pop them on my left hip with my left hand under their belly with their legs tucked in too, but feet dangling and then my right hand is free to give me pats! They seem to chill like this! Takes a while to get the hang of it (when my friends try to do it, the chikcens fuss a bit, but my housemates have gotten good at it too!). I can try get a photo if you like?

 

[haylee]

I pick up my chickens with both hands around their wings and belly, they protest for a few seconds, but once I get them under my arm with my hand under their belly, they relax and don't make a sound. I've noticed that letting the feet dangle makes them a little more calm, I don't know why, but it works.

 

[disrhythmic]

Thanks so much for the tips, everyone! I'll go out with the girls tomorrow and see what works. I'll keep ya posted.

 

[azygous]

The football hold works best for me. I pick them up facing backwards by placing both hands around their wings, fingers pointing down toward their legs. Then I tuck them under my arm with their head in under my armpit. They all go immediately calm and secure, and I still have a free hand to do stuff. This is especially useful for carrying them somewhere since they don't see where they're going until we get there.

As for lap time, they will all settle down immediately if I have food in my hand when they land. They'll behave very calmly, expecting more food if they give it time. After some time, using this method, almost all of my flock enjoy lap time. They know they get a treat without having to compete for it. Meal worms work great for this.

 

[disrhythmic]

I've come to the conclusion that either my hands are tiny or my hens are gigantic. A two-handed version of the 4H wrangling method worked pretty darn well, though! They quieted down after a little bit of frantic paddling.

 

[newpioneer75]

I have noticed that some of my hens will only be "willingly" be picked up by my 12 year old son. I have to do the quick grab or coax them with treats. Just took me 20 minutes to put 6 birds to bed.