A ? about molting for Speckledhen and anyone else that knows?

[gritsar]

My Lil' Bit has never had tail feathers, 'cept one. The others plucked them out when she was a baby. I used pine tar to stop the picking, but not before all but that one feather were gone.
Now she's molting and as the new tail feathers were coming in the others were pulling them out, so I made her a saddle extra long in the back to keep the new feathers hidden.
I've been checking daily and the new feathers are an inch or so long. Problem is, now Lil' Bit has learned how to flip up the back of the saddle and she pulls on the feathers herself!
Should I apply pine tar to prevent her from picking at herself?

 

[M To The Maxx]

Is there any way you can put the saddle on tighter?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I'm going to make some more saddles tonight for a few of the hens and thought about adding some fishing weights to the back hem of them. That would make it a little harder for her to flip the back up maybe?

 

[M To The Maxx]

Quote:
I'm going to make some more saddles tonight for a few of the hens and thought about adding some fishing weights to the back hem of them. That would make it a little harder for her to flip the back up maybe?

Probably.

 

[speckledhen]

I have one blue Orp hen whose saddle is forever over her head. I also thought of fishing weights, LOL. She doesn't pluck her feathers, though. Not sure how you'd keep her from picking her own feathers other than what you'd put on any bird to stop picking.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Well, I sent DH out to the shed to get his tackle box. I'll let you know how it works.

 

[speckledhen]

My saddles have extra flaps over the flank area for my broad girls and on Smoky's, I added larger ones made of faux leather, thinking the weight on the back end would hold it down. No such luck. Please do let me know about the weights!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Cyn, I got to thinking about weights and how they are still made of lead (I think?). Then I started thinking about Lilith and her passion for eating weird things that she finds. If a hem should come apart and the weights fell out, well...
So, I scratched the weights. Nickels maybe?
I made another saddle for Lil' Bit longer than the first, but not so long it covers the poop shoot. I've watched her and she doesn't seem to be able to reach back that far.
Another hen that I made a saddle for last night managed to turn the saddle around, so this morning she was wearing the saddle on her belly.

 

[speckledhen]

Hmm, you're right about the lead. Not sure nickels would be heavy enough. She might jingle when she walked, LOL. What else has weight in a small size, but wouldn't be harmful if swallowed? Hmm. Have to think on that one. You maybe could sew the fishing weights into the saddle, like passing thread over and over them, rather than just putting them inside the saddle loose, maybe.

 

[Cetawin]

gritsar use those 1/2 ounce oblong shaped weights... one on each side should do it...2 per side at the most. The sorta egg shaped ones. It is too big for her to eat.

Just a thought