Well, when I had my really big Pekin duck, and I myself was still pretty lil, I had to grab him and wrap both my arms around him, having to hold him tightly against my chest, just to lift him from the ground, but now that I am bigger and I only have lil call ducks, I can pin their wings against their bodies with one hand if need be and comfortably hold them in the crook of my elbow with their face bared in my shirt this seems to calm them down, and I hold their feet in my hand to make sure they dont scratch me. I really enjoy having lil ducks way more than big ones!