Free Chicken Apron/Saddle Pattern

[poultrylubber]

Thanks for this I just caught my cockerel doing his duty for the first time and he was a little rough. So just getting ready.

 

[groverlvchx]

Mine have been on for 2 months now and have only had to put one back on once (she got it off during a dustbathing--caught on fence) Not alot of regrowth but not getting sunburned, either.

 

[Ostara]

Here is the design I came up with after reading through this thread, and it seems to fit very well.

My hen is very docile, so when the rooster gets off her, the other hens come in to eat her feathers. She had a huge hole pecked into the base of her tail, and I got her out in time to a separate cage where I was able to heal her up and regrow her feathers. I tried putting her back in at dusk, but they jumped off their roosts to get at her. So now she is separate for the first night with it on to make sure it doesn't come off, and I'll see how she fares with her "armor" over the weekend. Even if they peck her vent and neck feathers, she will at least have the vital areas covered.

Because this hen is so docile, she was a perfect Test Chicken to make the trial run design because she just sat there for me. I used a piece of tissue paper laid on her back and a Sharpie to draw the shape and size for a pattern. The material is tapestry, like what you would upholster a chair cushion with. It is similar to canvas, and I saw posts that it needed to be stiff enough so that the tail area lays flat. It is still hot here so I didn't want to use fleece or anything heavier. It is double layered so I had to fold over the edges and stitch them and to keep from fraying (my first time using a sewing machine!). I put the material on her and fitted the elastic with pins. The elastic crosses on her chest and comes up under the wings. I offset the elastic from the edges where it comes under the wings so that the fabric covers her shoulders, which were also getting pecked. It didn't interfere with her flapping to get on the roost. It was difficult to get it off, so when I sewed on the elastic I made one of the sides a velcro closure (the black square) and it was easy to put on. The velcro is on the underside so they can't peck at it to get it open.

I'll be making these for the rest of them for the winter!

 

[groverlvchx]

Excellent! Did it stay on? I like the design (looks comfortable) and that the wing tops are covered (mine doesn't do that and they are BALD). Way to go!!

 

[Westtexasdustdevil]

What about tail feathers?

 

[BOrion]

Ostrava, your first time using a sewing machine? I am impressed. I like the design. Any concerns about the straps wrapping around the hens neck?

 

[Bogtown Chick]

So after a few lost saddles and and then the tension on my sewing machine getting messed up-- and finally bending something in the machine...I gave up the sewing saddles gig. I tried the No-Sew route I saw on this thread with some wool sweaters. I found them at a thrift shop and had felted them down (hotwater wash in the washing machine)
for a mitten project before. They are working great! And it was so easy. I made that same saddle shape and just made the win slots within the saddle itself. Mari and Rosey got one. The weight of them actually keep them in place during the matings and I think the girls look comfortable in them. Mari is molting and soon won't need hers. Rosey is starting to show signs that her molt will be coming but it's pretty slow going for her. Come on Feathers! Winter's coming.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Ok, I'd like to see a picture of one of these saddles without a hen inside. I'd like to see how you made it.

 

[Westtexasdustdevil]

So how can you protect the tail feathers?

 

[Bogtown Chick]

So how can you protect the tail feathers?

You know with these saddles on this thread...I don't think you really can. Generally overmating clears the back feathers only and doesn't affect the tail feathers. It sounds like you have a feather picker in your flock and you need to determine which chicken that is and isolate it. You could try some variations of this saddle extending with maybe a "tail pocket"...but the chickens use their tail quite a bit for balance so I'd be reluctant to do that even as it could be restrictive to their mobility and balance.