Chicken sweater. Yes or no.

[grannyhowie]

The weather in our area is below freezing already at night, and my poor little EE has just started to molt. It seems like it's all at once. She has many big bald spots. I have seen her shivering. Whereas I do know that a sweater on a fully feathered bird would not be good because it would restrict the hen from fluffing her feathers, would it be a good or bad idea to put one on little miss baldy? What do you all think?

 

[sunflour]

I whipped this little sweater up yesterday for this hen that has issues and gets very cold at night. Rather than separate her with a heat lamp or subject the entire flock to a lamp, she now wears a sweater at night...

Miss Molly...



She slept well in it last night and was much warmer this morning than she normally is. She will only wear this at night time and can use a heat lamp during the day unless it gets brutally cold outside.

So go ahead and use a sweater over night if your bird looks cold! This sweater is "Miss Molly" approved!

Ah, did you knit it? It's lovely.

 

[aart]

The sweater is likely to function like snow gear that is too tight. I ride a motorcycle even when temperature is below -10 F and I have no protective shield. My attire is more like that used by riders of snow mobiles than motorcycles which means I am exceptionally well protected. I have to be careful in how the clothing is worn. The snow mobile suite is a good insulator and wind break that approximates the chicken sweaters discussed here. Under that are layers of cotton and wool as well as thermal undergarments. When outer outfit is too tight it causes two issues. First, trapped air between layers is lost reducing insulatory value which can get me cold to core. Second I can restrict blood flow to extremeties (arms and legs) making it hard to keep them warm even with best gloves and boots. Another challenge is that if my attire gets wet the only part that insulates well still is the wool and it generally is not good enough. The chicken sweaters compress the feather layers forcing out the insulatory air and could be very bad news if bird is exposed to a lot of precipitation or even heavy frost. I suggest exploring other approaches to keep the birds warm first. Wind breaks, lost of straw and some sort of heat source tested for fire risk would be first approaches. The sweater approach would be used only in conjunction with the previous three and bird would not get outdoor time. I have had game roosters that got seriously de-feathered fighting in muddy hog lot. Sweaters would have been applicable there but birds would still need to be kept in tight but dry quarter and simply given lots of food. Additionally the broken feathers are pulled to promote rapid regrowth. Doing the sweaters for the cute factor is putting your birds are risk.

Exactly...but chicken sweater sellers aren't gonna want to believe, or want anyone else to believe it, as it would decimate their business.
Denial of animal biology in favor of anthropomorphism will continue to run rampant no matter the facts presented.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I also would like to know this! Just opinions about chicken sweaters in general. Excuse me if I'm mistaken, but aren't chickens sensitive when molting? Would the sweater rub against her and irritate her? Like rubbing a sun burn or something along those lines? Again, not sure, just a thought..

Not only irritate her but a "sweater" or a hen Union Suit, overalls, coveralls, or a parka would bend, and break the new blood feathers because they are as tender as a piece of cooked spaghetti during the molt. A chicken can quickly bleed to death from a broken pen or blood feather. Furthermore the only way to treat a broken pen or blood feather is to pull it out by the roots with a pair of pliers.

I am not going to advise you one way or the other but the things I told you are facts, use them to decide for your self what is in your hen's own self interest.

 

[CandylandRanch]

I

Not only irritate her but a "sweater" or a hen Union Suit, overalls, coveralls, or a parka would bend, and break the new blood feathers because they are as tender as a piece of cooked spaghetti during the molt.  A chicken can quickly bleed to death from a broken pen or blood feather.  Furthermore the only way to treat a broken pen or blood feather is to pull it out by the roots with a pair of pliers. 

I am not going to advise you one way or the other but the things I told you are facts, use them to decide for your self what is in your hen's own self interest.

actually just read more on this yesterday. There are a number of reasons the sweaters are bad, it would be very painful against any type of broken feather, they won't be able to regulate body temp, we all know chickens are dry creatures and the sweater can trap moisture, also if a rooster tried to mount a hen with one he could get entrapped in the sweater and both birds could be severely hurt.. They are cute for a photo op but other than that I would probably advise against it..

 

[Garjzla]

It's not just crocheting either, they have a cotton lining. But each their own. I can't bear to see any animal freeze or suffer from the cold or not based on an opinion. That's cruel. They wear the sweaters at night, take them off during the day. But it depends on the owner the breed and the zone.

I know my chicken, Cleopatra, wouldn't be able to stand it, but she has very thick and fluffy feathers. I do agree that at night a sweater won't hurt, and it'll make them warm, but 24/7 isn't very nice because then they can't clean themselves and spread out their oils. The easier option (I think) is to just bring them inside and keep them in a crate or a "special room."

 

[centrarchid]

The sweater is likely to function like snow gear that is too tight. I ride a motorcycle even when temperature is below -10 F and I have no protective shield. My attire is more like that used by riders of snow mobiles than motorcycles which means I am exceptionally well protected. I have to be careful in how the clothing is worn. The snow mobile suite is a good insulator and wind break that approximates the chicken sweaters discussed here. Under that are layers of cotton and wool as well as thermal undergarments. When outer outfit is too tight it causes two issues. First, trapped air between layers is lost reducing insulatory value which can get me cold to core. Second I can restrict blood flow to extremeties (arms and legs) making it hard to keep them warm even with best gloves and boots. Another challenge is that if my attire gets wet the only part that insulates well still is the wool and it generally is not good enough. The chicken sweaters compress the feather layers forcing out the insulatory air and could be very bad news if bird is exposed to a lot of precipitation or even heavy frost. I suggest exploring other approaches to keep the birds warm first. Wind breaks, lost of straw and some sort of heat source tested for fire risk would be first approaches. The sweater approach would be used only in conjunction with the previous three and bird would not get outdoor time. I have had game roosters that got seriously de-feathered fighting in muddy hog lot. Sweaters would have been applicable there but birds would still need to be kept in tight but dry quarter and simply given lots of food. Additionally the broken feathers are pulled to promote rapid regrowth. Doing the sweaters for the cute factor is putting your birds are risk.

 

[Garjzla]

I think very fluffy wool wouldn't be bad for a chicken. Just don't make it skin tight, and they can fluff up if they want, or keep their feathers flat.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I think very fluffy wool wouldn't be bad for a chicken. Just don't make it skin tight, and they can fluff up if they want, or keep their feathers flat.

Oh I agree. Anything other than what the chicken naturally has wouldn't be good. I guess that's opinion but...there are many facts contributing to it.

 

[CandylandRanch]

I also would like to know this! Just opinions about chicken sweaters in general. Excuse me if I'm mistaken, but aren't chickens sensitive when molting? Would the sweater rub against her and irritate her? Like rubbing a sun burn or something along those lines? Again, not sure, just a thought..