How should I handle my chickens?
Chickens who need to be examined should be caught quickly and cleanly, with minimal stress. You may sometimes be able to easily catch a chicken at night-time, simply by lifting them off their roosting perch.
To pick up a chicken, lift them by advancing your hand, palm uppermost and fingers extended, under the bird’s chest from front to rear. As the bird is lifted, your thumb and fingers are spread to hold the feet and, with the palm, support the bird’s weight; the other hand is used to gently restrain the wings. The bird is then supported in the palm of your hand or forearm, facing you, with their legs held between your fingers. If necessary, the bird can be cradled against your body and gently restrained there with your free hand.
While picking up your chicken, talk quietly and reassuringly to them. Remember, this can be a very stressful and scary situation for a chicken, although many become used to it and accept handling with minimal fuss.
You should NEVER restrain your chicken upside down. It is very stressful and, if they have a full crop, it can regurgitate the crop contents. If the chickens inhales this material, they can die or develop aspiration pneumonia.
Included below is a video that demonstrates correct handling for your chickens.
Video — how to handle your chickens.
Bibliography
Greenacre C (2021) Physical examination. In: Greenacre C, Morishita T (eds) Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery: A Guide for Veterinary Practitioners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, pp 159–172
Poland G, Raftery A (2019) Handling, transportation, and hospitalisation. In: BSAVA Manual of Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery. British Small Animal Veterinary Association, pp 45–50
Registered Specialist in Bird Medicine
RSPCA Australia believes that captive-bred wild animals should not be kept in a home environment or for companion purposes unless the species has been clearly identified as being suitable for this purpose. It is important that animals living in a home environment can live a good life. This means providing for their physical health and ensuring opportunities to fully express their individual interests and experience good welfare. Inadequate care and husbandry are reported to contribute to common and serious welfare compromises in many captive wild animals living in home environments. For more information see our policy.
The reality is, however, that captive-bred wild animals are kept in home environments despite sometimes not meeting these criteria (e.g., some reptile and bird species). Because of this, the RSPCA has produced these articles on the care and welfare of a variety of commonly kept captive-bred wild animals. The aim is to help people better understand their animals as individuals and provide them with care that keeps them healthy and provides opportunities for positive mental experiences as much as possible in captivity.
Wild animals must not be taken from the wild to be kept as companion animals (pets).
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