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sedated at night. Therefore, if
you walk into the coop with a
headlamp or torch and the
birds will mostly stay still on
the perches or nesting boxes
while you handle them.
Place your strongest hand on
the middle of her back,
securing her wings as much
as possible with that hand.
Do not grab for wings or tail
feathers. You should never
pick up a chicken by her feet
or neck. Not only will this
cause mental stress, it can
also cause physical damage to
your hen, both of which can
lead to health problems.
With your other hand secure
her legs and lower part of her
body and gently and slowly
lift her. Be sure to hug her
close to your body so it is
difficult for her to flap about
or jump down, which can
result in injury.
Once you have your hen
under your arm, make sure
she feels secure by talking to
her softly, this will help calm
her nerves and familiarise her
with human handling.
The correct way to carry a
chicken is to have your hand
under the bird's breast/tummy
with two fingers between the
legs and the other fingers on
the outside of each leg while
the bird sits in a comfortable
position resting on the palm
of your hand. However, try to
avoid restricting its view as
this can cause her to become
nervous and frightened,
resulting in a flighty hen.
Always make sure the bird is
level and balanced. If she
feels in any way insecure,
either tilted forward or
backwards, she will panic,
which then starts the wings
flapping and control is easily
lost. And do be careful when
the wings are flapping, as the
feathers can be quite sharp
and can catch you in the eye,
which can be very painful. So
make sure you keep your
face well clear.
Birds should not be carried
by the head, by one leg or
one wing, or held upside
breathing. You
can hardly
notice normal
breathing. A
chicken with
respiratory
problems
breathes with
an open
mouth, and the
tail may bob up
and down with
each breath.
Next, feel the
keel or
breastbone to
get an overall
picture of body
condition, to
determine
whether the
How NOT to carry a chicken: By the legs (pictured) or chicken is thin
by the wings.
or fat.
Then lift up the
down.
feathers to look at the
A chicken physical exam
chicken's skin. Check for
requires you to look closely at external parasites. Do you see
all areas of your chicken's
any scurrying specks or
body and behaviour.
walking dandruff? Look at the
Look at the head – there
should be no swelling of the
comb, eyelids, face or
wattles; no scabs anywhere
on the head, no cloudy eyes
or an irregularly shaped pupil;
no crusty or runny nostrils or
a cracked beak.
Check how the bird is
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POULTRY
shafts of the feathers. White
clumps on the feather shafts
may be lice eggs. Go over the
whole bird, stroking the
feathers backward, to find
areas of feather loss or skin
that is reddened, lumpy,
scabby, torn or bruised.
Examine her feet, legs and
wings. Does she put weight
on both legs evenly? Are both
wings tucked up on her back,
or does one of the wings
droop?
With the bird lying on her
side, you can pick up the tail
feathers to examine the vent
area. Check for reddened,
swollen, or torn skin and
missing feathers. Look for
blood coming from the vent
or tissue protruding from it.
It's a good idea to reward
your hen with some grain or
a treat when placing her
safely back down to show her
that handling should not be
viewed as an unpleasant or
feared experience for her.