Free Chicken Apron/Saddle Pattern

Pics
I'm so new at this that I can't help out much, but I wanted to share my VERY rudimentary chicken saddle. This is for those of us that own sewing machines but aren't really good at sewing. I hand-cut out the pattern by measuring my pullet's neck, length from neck to tail feather base, and then around the widest part of her tummy. I folded a piece of paper in half and started cutting. I then held the paper up to the chick until it looked right.

Once it looked right, I cut two out of an old pair of jeans. I then measured from the chicken's shoulder, across her breast, to under her opposite wing. I used that measurement to cut out the adjustable portion of an old bra strap.

Let me tell you... the buckle part helped a TON in getting it on, and now as the pullet grows, I can adjust the straps. I made sure the buckle is over her breast and not under a wing where it might chafe.

Once measured it out, I set my sewing machine to a zig-zaggy type pattern, pinned everything where I wanted it, and sewed it all together. It's not pretty at all, but my pullet didn't seem to mind that it's not aesthetically pleasing. She more complained about putting it on. My sewing machine has some fancy stitching that I attempted to use, but it didn't turn out well. I tried though!

I'm fairly certain one could hot-glue this entire thing together with the same results.

IMG_3598.JPG

IMG_3599.JPG

IMG_3601.JPG
 
Ok, so one of my hens is losing her feathers, as she seems to be the favourite hen of our cockerel, Red (but she dislikes the other boys and runs away, lol). She is starting to get scratches. I have started to stitch one of these based on the plan. I don’t have a sewing machine, so I hand-stitch everything. How long should I make the strings?

I don’t have any elastic, so I plan to make a flat cord and use velcro.
 
Last edited:
You grab your little darling and hold between your knees. Slide the elastic ALL the way to one side and slip around the wing and gently pull through, make sure it's all the way on, then slide the elastic ALL they way to the other side and again slip over the wing. Then adjustable elastic. Now keep in mind your darling most likely will not be enjoying this process and be protesting in a variety of ways. Escape, pecking, vocalizing etc. Remember, you are bigger! Best of luck. One of my R.I. Reds threw a temper tantrum and terrorized the whole flock. It had to come off and we tried again later. It was funny in a sort of terrifying way, she's been fine ever since.
 
I have made these and they work okay if there are no barbed wire fences or green briers around. One of my Easter Eggers got hers caught on the barbed wire fence behind our house and one of my Buff Orpingtons got her caught in two huge green brier vines. It was quite easy to free the Easter Egger from the fence, but I couldn't find my BO until nearly 24 hours later. When I had gone looking for her the evening she disappeared, she stayed quiet because it was nearly dark. I had thought something had gotten her, but the next day, one of her sisters gave out an alarm call and I went to check because I thought whatever had gotten Betty Boop might have come back. It was poor Betty. She was so soundly stuck, I had to cut the apron off of her and it took months for her wings to go back to their original position. I have since used this pattern to make leather aprons that attach with snaps and elastic. As we are down to one rooster, they didn't really need them, though, but one of my Buffs was getting ridden roughshod so I put her's on and she seems to like it. I decorated them differently so I could tell one hen from another at a glance then rubbed them with olive oil to help make them water resistant. I also made them slightly smaller than this pattern because the cloth ones I'd made before were too big for my hens. I haven't taken any photos of the new ones, but this is a photo of Madeline and her chick Marco.
 

Attachments

  • Marco and Madeline.jpg
    Marco and Madeline.jpg
    123.7 KB · Views: 45
Do you happen to have this pattern you could post with measurements? This is exactly what i'm looking for.
700

700

700


Here's another version. I doubled the fleece because my roo punched a hole in one hen's side. She needs extra insurance to heal, plus it's wintertime. I used the same pattern given here, but just shaved it off some at the tail area (this doesn't seem to be an issue with my flock), and lengthened the sides out to about 10".
 
I'm so new at this that I can't help out much, but I wanted to share my VERY rudimentary chicken saddle. This is for those of us that own sewing machines but aren't really good at sewing. I hand-cut out the pattern by measuring my pullet's neck, length from neck to tail feather base, and then around the widest part of her tummy. I folded a piece of paper in half and started cutting. I then held the paper up to the chick until it looked right.

Once it looked right, I cut two out of an old pair of jeans. I then measured from the chicken's shoulder, across her breast, to under her opposite wing. I used that measurement to cut out the adjustable portion of an old bra strap.

Let me tell you... the buckle part helped a TON in getting it on, and now as the pullet grows, I can adjust the straps. I made sure the buckle is over her breast and not under a wing where it might chafe.

Once measured it out, I set my sewing machine to a zig-zaggy type pattern, pinned everything where I wanted it, and sewed it all together. It's not pretty at all, but my pullet didn't seem to mind that it's not aesthetically pleasing. She more complained about putting it on. My sewing machine has some fancy stitching that I attempted to use, but it didn't turn out well. I tried though!

I'm fairly certain one could hot-glue this entire thing together with the same results.

View attachment 1171764
View attachment 1171765
View attachment 1171766
Genius about the sliding adjustable feature.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom