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Busybird

Picking up chickens

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Having had my three chickens for five days (and collected three delicious eggs!) I let them out of their run to free range in a section of my garden yesterday. Today they have been out of the run for most of the morning and were successfully bribed back into it with tit bits when I had to pop out briefly. So far so good (phew!).

 

My children are very keen to pick the chickens up. Is this a good idea? I don't want to upset either the chickens or the children. The very nice man from Omlet showed me how to pick them up when they were delivered but I haven't tried since. What does everyone else do :?:

 

My children are aged 11, 9 and 7 so should be strong enough to hold the chickens.

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we pick ours up although 1 of them doesn't particularly like it and once picked up will run away rather than get caught again!! the other seems to quite enjoy it although when we first got ours they were very pecky and thought anything that moved (including our fingers/toes/ears!) was food! As long as you get a firm hold on them but not too hard then there shouldn't be a problem handling them and the more they're picked up the tamer they become as they get used to it.

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My 4 year old is the most confident handler in the family. So long as you make sure the kids don't squeeze the chickens too tightly they should be fine.

 

If you're not confident yet, try taking one out of the eglu about 5 minutes after they've gone to bed. The hen will be dopey and won't struggle as you gently lift her out. You can have a lovely cuddle then pop her back and reach for another one. You can also sneak up on them by putting some treats on the ground by you then getting hold of one while she goes for the food :)

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I would agree - ours are laying and they crouch when you approach them , so it's easy to scoop them up and give them a cuddle, or a check-over, or whatever. If I have to nip out while they are free-ranging, I can just scoop them up and pop them into the run with no fuss.

 

One is far tamer than the other, though - if I sit down in the garden she will sit next to me and snuggle up, probably in the hope of a treat :roll: but I prefer to call it affection!

 

Try bribing them with some sweetcorn or mixed corn so they get to trust you. My two boys (aged 8 and 6) aren't too confident about picking the chickens up yet, but they love hand-feeding them. One sight of the boys in the garden and both chooks come running making litlle excited clucks, as they know there will be treats. There's nothing so good as a pet that's pleased to see you!

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I don't think it will do the chickens any harm, watch out for them pecking as they'll go for anything shiny (jewellery, watches ... even eyes apparently). But I have to be honest and go against the majority here, and say that I very rarely pick mine up - they are not keen, and I don't particularly want to cuddle them. :?

 

I love watching them peck around the garden, and I do pick them up when I need to, but mostly I have a non-tactile relationship with mine!

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we are always picking ours up. I think they get fed up with us!! :lol:

 

My maran is ever so easy to pick up because she is a small built compact hen. The cochins are big girls and ever so fluffy so they are harder.

 

If you do it often and the hens get used to it - they wont mind at all. I would maybe start off by sitting on a seat in the garden and picking one up and putting it on your lap and stroking it for a few minutes, then put it back down. If you keep doing this your hens will hopefully realise you mean no harm and its actually quite nice! :)

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Hi Busybird,

I'm the same as Olly. I don't pick mine up much anymore. But initially I did.

 

Best to have long sleeves (as scratchy nails can hurt) and pick them up after they've gone to bed and are dozy. My children are exactly the same age as yours. My older 2 wanted to hold them at first but now they don't. They prefer to talk to them, be followed round the garden, hold chicken races for thrown cucumber, and they love stroking them (which is so much easier when they come into lay and start crouching). My youngest aged 7 has never wanted to hold them at all.

 

Be confident, they do flap a bit, so a secure grip over the wings (but not too firm) is good. Don't be put off, it takes a few times to master.

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I went around picking all of mine up for a cuddle yesterday, just so they get used to handling. They flab and panic when you first grab them, but once you have a good grip on them (I hold them against my body, with one hand placed round the body pinning their wings down) they settle and will get used to it over time. I stoke their wattles, they tend to lift their heads and purr at me.

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