ADVICE?: Chicken saddles. Pecking/mating injuries

[pippi_smiles]

Soooo, a few of my girls are missing feathers and some even have scratches. Until we can get them more room to roam this spring, I'm trying to make them chicken saddles. Only one problem...they keep taking them off. Anyone one ever heard of putting an elastic band across the bottom too? Or even around their neck? I'm using my son's outgrown bluejeans. Here are a couple picks. Any advice would be helpful.

 

[azygous]

Gotta hand it to you, you sure are resourceful! Yes, you can run an elastic fastener across the chest. But running the fasteners from top of the shoulders and under the wing pits, and fastening the ends to the saddle on the back side of the wing makes it much harder for the hen to Houdini herself out of the garment.

I'm sure you've already discovered that hens come in many sizes and shapes, so one size won't fit all. I've spent my share of time sewing saddles, then refining them again and again when the hens demonstrate how easy they can get out of them.

And, no, from what I've read on this site, ready made saddles don't fit any better. You're far ahead of the game by customizing your own saddles to your own hens. This is Alice wearing the best saddle I ever sewed. She even made it into a book someone wrote about stylish hens.

 

[pippi_smiles]

Gotta hand it to you, you sure are resourceful! Yes, you can run an elastic fastener across the chest. But running the fasteners from top of the shoulders and under the wing pits, and fastening the ends to the saddle on the back side of the wing makes it much harder for the hen to Houdini herself out of the garment.

I'm sure you've already discovered that hens come in many sizes and shapes, so one size won't fit all. I've spent my share of time sewing saddles, then refining them again and again when the hens demonstrate how easy they can get out of them.

And, no, from what I've read on this site, ready made saddles don't fit any better. You're far ahead of the game by customizing your own saddles to your own hens. This is Alice wearing the best saddle I ever sewed. She even made it into a book someone wrote about stylish hens.View attachment 1665913

Today I made a couple more saddles, and put elastic belts on them. They work great! Thanks so much for the advise! Here's some pics of the girls in their jean jacket saddles and my new ones. Also, I need some help with the wing protector. The one I made flops back and forth and doesn't stay over her wing when she shakes.

 

[azygous]

Lookin' good!

 

[pippi_smiles]

Lookin' good!

Do you mind me asking how you made the wing protector for your beautiful chicken?

 

[pippi_smiles]

She didn't even get it off in the dust bath! I love the ones made from the butt of the jeans! I can totally get three saddles out of one pair of size 6 boys jeans.

 

[azygous]

I bet your scrap bin looks like mine. Can't let perfectly good jeans seats go to waste!

To make the wing protectors, I cut a long rectangle of fabric and shirred on side and hemmed the other. I pulled the shirred threads to make a ruffle and sewed it to the front side of the saddle, then repeated it for the other shoulder. It worked great and really did a good job of protecting her wing shoulder which were getting a lot of wear from the roo since Alice was so petite and narrow.

 

[pippi_smiles]

I bet your scrap bin looks like mine. Can't let perfectly good jeans seats go to waste!

To make the wing protectors, I cut a long rectangle of fabric and shirred on side and hemmed the other. I pulled the shirred threads to make a ruffle and sewed it to the front side of the saddle, then repeated it for the other shoulder. It worked great and really did a good job of protecting her wing shoulder which were getting a lot of wear from the roo since Alice was so petite and narrow.

Thank you sooo much. My Daisy Mae is has the same issues. She's kinda my runty buff, but the boy's favorite.

 

[pippi_smiles]

I bet your scrap bin looks like mine. Can't let perfectly good jeans seats go to waste!

To make the wing protectors, I cut a long rectangle of fabric and shirred on side and hemmed the other. I pulled the shirred threads to make a ruffle and sewed it to the front side of the saddle, then repeated it for the other shoulder. It worked great and really did a good job of protecting her wing shoulder which were getting a lot of wear from the roo since Alice was so petite and narrow.

In your opinion would you use this elastic? Im weary since the color is red. But unfortunately it's the color that was already in his blue jeans.

 

[azygous]

Use it. The color will mostly be hidden by feathers. There's a very small chance it will attract pecking, but that's not been my experience when I use red Vetrap.