How to pick-up and hold baby chicks? (wiggling away video)

[My Three Chicks]

I've got 3.5 week baby chicks. They are very cuddly but not yet comfortable being picked up and held.

I recently introduced treats and they'll happily step and stand on my hand. And I'm also able to scoop up and hold them from the underside..but once in that position after a few seconds they panic and wiggle away to stand on my hand instead!

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

I've seen videos and photos of people holding their chickens this way. What am I doing wrong?

 

[DonyaQuick]

The instagram video isn't working - says it's private when I click on it and open in a new tab.

Stepping up on a hand and then being covered over the back is a good way to pick up & carry chicks. Similalry "the scoop" is a good method, but some chicks and even some adults dont like having their feet dangle. If they are content to stand on a hand, let them do so. If they want to run off, set them down and let them (provided it's safe to do so and they aren't requiring some kind of medical attention). One of the ways to make hands less scary for any animal is actually to just let them approach and leave at will, so they don't feel like they're getting "caught" by coming to the hand.

Basically it's normal for chicks and even adult birds to not like being grabbed from above or to feel like they're being lifted up. Remember it's what predators want to do to them, so it makes sense for them to be nervous about it. While I have many birds that have overcome that built-in fear, I also have several adult birds that love snuggles but also don't like me reaching down to grab them - they prefer to jump up on my lap. Once the chicks are bigger, you may find kneeling to pick them up has more success since it's more of an approach from the side rather than looming over them like an aerial predator would.

 

[nuthatched]

The fast ball and the stemware way is what I do.

 

[My Three Chicks]

The instagram video isn't working - says it's private when I click on it and open in a new tab.

Stepping up on a hand and then being covered over the back is a good way to pick up & carry chicks. Similalry "the scoop" is a good method, but some chicks and even some adults dont like having their feet dangle. If they are content to stand on a hand, let them do so. If they want to run off, set them down and let them (provided it's safe to do so and they aren't requiring some kind of medical attention). One of the ways to make hands less scary for any animal is actually to just let them approach and leave at will, so they don't feel like they're getting "caught" by coming to the hand.

Basically it's normal for chicks and even adult birds to not like being grabbed from above or to feel like they're being lifted up. Remember it's what predators want to do to them, so it makes sense for them to be nervous about it. While I have many birds that have overcome that built-in fear, I also have several adult birds that love snuggles but also don't like me reaching down to grab them - they prefer to jump up on my lap. Once the chicks are bigger, you may find kneeling to pick them up has more success since it's more of an approach from the side rather than looming over them like an aerial predator would.

Thanks for the reply and letting me know about the Instagram account. I never use Instagram. Just made the post to post a video since you can't do direct from here. But I just switched the account from private to public if you could take a look. Is that the scoop method?
Yeah if I cup my hand over their wings then they stay put (at least for a bit anyhow!). Was just wondering if they'd just stay there dangling in my hand!

 

[My Three Chicks]

The fast ball and the stemware way is what I do.

I had to think about that one for a min! Is what I'm trying to do 'stemware'? Just redid the link so it should work now

 

[DonyaQuick]

Thanks for the reply and letting me know about the Instagram account. I never use Instagram. Just made the post to post a video since you can't do direct from here. But I just switched the account from private to public if you could take a look. Is that the scoop method?
Yeah if I cup my hand over their wings then they stay put (at least for a bit anyhow!). Was just wondering if they'd just stay there dangling in my hand!

Video's working now - and yep, that's the scoop. What I've done with chicks like that is practice very short duration scoops and set its feet down before it starts to panic, then gradually lengthen the time spent with dangle feet.

 

[nuthatched]

I had to think about that one for a min! Is what I'm trying to do 'stemware'? Just redid the link so it should work now

You scoop them up from underneath, their keel in your palm, with their little legs between your fingers.
Fast ball, fingers on either side of the neck, thumb supporting the back end.
Fast ball works better for small chicks, stemware for older ones.