Chicken hypnosis????

[gabby3535]

I read somewhere about a 'method' of benevolently showing a rooster 'who is boss'.......to prevent him from becoming (or even 'thinking' of becoming) aggressive towards you. That is to hold him for a little bit of time by his feet; his body hanging upside down.
My roo is in no way aggressive...........but I don't want him to ever 'become' aggressive...........so I thought I'd try this 'method' on
him now, so it never becomes an issue in the future.
Well, after a little flapping, squawking, and attempting to 'right' himself.........he rapidly resigned to the situation at hand! Eyes closed, wings held outward, head straight down toward the ground.........like he instantly fell asleep or something! Almost like chicken hypnosis!
After I laid him gently down on the grass..............he just laid there for a bit, trance-like...then he just got up and went about his day!
What the heck is up with that???
What sort of psychology is behind 'that' behavior?
Is it a protective measure of some sort, or what?
Silly roo.........................................

 

[gritsar]

I don't agree with hanging a rooster upside down by his feet. They can choke to death.
My DH has hypnotized my chickens by drawing a line on the ground and pushing their head down to it, but I've only let him do it once. It disturbs me to see them in a trance for some reason.

 

[Rooster#3]

if i turn my henns upside down they seem to be in a trance i read that it makes them less afraid of you

 

[triplepurpose]

Interestingly, there are a couple of other ways to "hypnotize" chickens I recently discovered. Aside from the famous drawing the line in the dirt technique Gritsar describes (which I didn't have much luck with), you can also tuck the chicken's head under its wing (gently, obviously, so you don't hurt its neck) and, holding it like that, rock or gently swing it side to side or in a slow circle in front of you for a moment. Then set it gently on the ground in such a way that the head is still under the wing, and it will stay like that, perfectly relaxed, breathing peacefully, until you give it a nudge to wake it up. And apparently they otherwise can stay like that for a long time, so be sure you don't just leave it and wander off! Aside from being a bizarre experiment it's also very useful sometimes for handling them with minimal stress--I've heard they teach this to veterinarians... If you're interested, you can watch plenty of people doing this on youtube as well. Very weird... but they sometimes sleep in a similar position, so it kind of makes sense...

 

[triplepurpose]

By the way, not to sound contrary, gritsar, but just to add as a counterpoint to the discussion: I hang or even carry my chickens by their feet all the time (gently, with care and tenderness) especially when I need to carry two or more of them at the same time, and I've never even heard of a chicken choking that way. It calms them a little too, so handling is easier for me and for them.... Anyway, just my experience...

 

[cami]

thats so cool i think ill try the head under the wing thing with one of my chickens (she really hates being held and complains a lot

 

[Lifetime chicken lover]

When I was a kid, my mom would lay a chicken on its back in her hand letting the head hang backwards and the chicken would fall asleep within seconds. Often, she would then lay it on the ground and it would stay asleep. Then as a trick would come inside and tell us that one of the dogs had gotten the chicken, and when we saw it would start crying then, she'd give it a quick little shove and it'd wake up again.

It was a terrible, cruel trick that taught me that when a chickens head is lower than its heart, the blood rushes to its tiny little head and it passes out.

 

[drumstick diva]

OOh, that was a sick, cruel trick to play on kids, sounds like things my father would do. No wonder I am neurotic.

 

[noodleroo]

Quote:
I know that holding them upside down makes it really hard for them to breathe. I don't do that or any of the other 'tricks' to make them go to sleep. If I had to hold them upside down for treating for parasites or something similar I guess I would for a few seconds. Other than that; I just don't think its a good idea.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I know that holding them upside down makes it really hard for them to breathe. I don't do that or any of the other 'tricks' to make them go to sleep. If I had to hold them upside down for treating for parasites or something similar I guess I would for a few seconds. Other than that; I just don't think its a good idea.

Agreed.
A chickens lungs are closer to their back than their chest and their feet are closer to the back of their bodies than the front. Holding them upside down causes the internal organs to press on the lungs and can cause a problem similiar to suffocation.
To quote Marci Roberts in the Hobby Farms book Chickens: Tending a Small-Scale Flock for Pleasure and Profit (by Sue Weaver) -'....don't carry chickens by their legs! It can hurt them, it's undignified, and scares them silly. People think chickens don't mind this position because they don't flop. Well, can you say "shock?" '
Other than holding my hens for petting or to check for illness, I find it necessary to pick them up once a week to do a mite check. This means I need to get a good look around the vent area. To do this I use the "football carry", tuck their head under my arms and support their weight on my arm leaving the other hand free to check. Put it into this position my hens never fail to calm right down.