Im glad to see this post. I'm looking for the same answer. My Aroucanas both bite when I try to handle them, they have from day one almost, and I have already tried the whole "I'm going to keep picking you up till you can be nice" thing. Not working. So I will definitely be trying some of the things suggested here.
Anyways, I don't know if this will help you, but the first time I had chickens I was a kid and my sister and I though it was fun to "herd" the chicks around the yard. Well, turns out when they got older and the roosters started to turn on us (we had bantams which are apparently meaner than regular chickens) all we had to do was grab a stick or something that looked like one and they backed off quick. We never hit the chickens with the stick, but something about being chased around with it got them to behave and respect it. Even if they had zero respect for me.
Anyways, I don't know if this will help you, but the first time I had chickens I was a kid and my sister and I though it was fun to "herd" the chicks around the yard. Well, turns out when they got older and the roosters started to turn on us (we had bantams which are apparently meaner than regular chickens) all we had to do was grab a stick or something that looked like one and they backed off quick. We never hit the chickens with the stick, but something about being chased around with it got them to behave and respect it. Even if they had zero respect for me.
