Getting my roo to leave the chicken saddle alone

[Fallen Leaf Farm]

So a couple of my girls are bare on their backs with broken wing feathers. I found a pattern and made a saddle to try on one of the girls. The fit was pretty good, but as she went out of the coop and across the yard, the roo attacked the saddle and removed it. I hadn't quite gotten one piece of the elastic sewn in tight, so I ran back to the machine and tacked it better. Second attempt, the hen runs to the roo, crouches down on the ground, and Nugget removes it again. This time he broke a piece of the elastic, so now I have to remove all that stitching and try a new piece. Maybe I will double the elastic, it wasn't super heavy stuff, just some spare stuff from a previous project.

My question is, how do I get the roo to leave the new outfits alone? Two of my girls are in the same state. I did trim Nugget's claws (spurs aren't big enough yet). Got a couple short enough to draw blood. Wonder if that will make him more afraid of me or angry with me??

 

[featherz]

I just have one saddle on one hen, so I am no expert.. but I am curious, what color is the saddle? I tried to put one on my girl that kinda blended in with her feathers and so far so good. However,I am not handy enough to make one, so I bought mine from a fellow byc'er.

 

[Fallen Leaf Farm]

Afraid it is a little on the bright side....turquoise and pink. Sounds bad, but it was leftover fabric from a quilt I made at Christmas. If only Nugget would read the "peace" and "joy" on it!

 

[bgelber]

Quote:
He may not be reading the "peace" but he sure understands the "joy"

 

[Fallen Leaf Farm]

Oh, man, too funny!