Soon after I got chickens, I read "somewhere" that chickens don't like being picked up and held. So I never did, even though hens would often fly up to sit on the arm of my chair or even on my lap. I always talked to and spent a lot of time with them, but was content to remain "no contact." And then about five years ago one of my favorite sweet hens became ill. It was soon obvious that she was dying, so I picked her up and brought her inside my house. She had always let me know by her behaviors that she adored me, but this was the first time I had ever held her. She was very clingy and obviously comforted, and so I held her into the wee hours of the morn when she died in my arms. I have always regretted I didn't hold her at every opportunity when she was well. But since then, I've discovered other hens that also love to be held. When I pick them up, they immediately become as relaxed and limp as little puppies, and their behavior relaxes me too. Oxytocin and mesotocin are definitely being mutually produced during those moments.