Hen turtleneck sweater/saddle with neck protection -"updated with warning"

[sarahelizabeth1]

Note the quoted post above......didn't work out so well after all.

Thanks for your help! I actually just cut off the neck of a sock and put it on her neck. She doesn't seem to mind and it protects her scab. I will look into other options if this ends up not being sufficient.

 

[aart]

Quote: Watch out for hanging threads...they can get tangled up in them.

 

[MothaClucker0403]

Thanks for your help! I actually just cut off the neck of a sock and put it on her neck. She doesn't seem to mind and it protects her scab. I will look into other options if this ends up not being sufficient.

Most certainly just "face-palmed" myself after reading your quick remedy! I have been feverishly searching the internet for a turtleneck for one of my clucks who has been bloodied up on the top of her neck and back of her head and everything has had a 2-3 week ship time from etsy that would even come close to working. One of my husband's old socks will work perfectly!!!!

 

[Panchopaco]

A few days ago I posted a reply to an OP who was relating a sad tale of a hen getting picked bloody. I posted a pic of three hens in sweaters. Everyone probably considered it a joke.

But hen sweaters are a very real alternative to regular hen saddles made of cloth. I had my neighbor, who crochets, knit one up for my BB Joyce who is constantly picked bald by the other hens, especially her neck. The fit is amazing and Joyce got used to it far more quickly than other saddles because it fits so snugly. There are no clumsy fasteners - just pulls on, wings first, then in goes her head, folding the excess over like, well, a turtleneck!

The patterns can be found on the internet.

I think Joyce looks singularly stylish, don't you?

I need two! the closest I found is on Amazon as a christmas outfit for 6.99 - I would pay your friend 10 a piece Is awesome!

 

[azygous]

What seems at first to be an attractive solution can end up being a problem. The problem is most hens hate wearing garments and will pick at them until they unravel. Besides rendering the garment into a trash item the dangling strings and yarn can pose a choking hazard and if swallowed, it can cause intestinal obstruction or gizzard impaction.

Years ago when I first tried to solve feather picking, garments seemed like a good solution, but since then, I've decided they are among the worst solutions because they pose unacceptable risks.

Flock management is a better approach. I try to identify both victims and perpetrators and try to work it so they can occupy different spaces. For example, my roosters are the main victims of feather picking so they get to roam free most of the day and exposure to the hens is kept to a minimum. Extreme feather picking hens have gotten their own pen in the past.

 

[aart]

I've decided they are among the worst solutions because they pose unacceptable risks.

I wonder if you can get the ability(mod to help) to put this in the OP.

 

[azygous]

I'd go so far as to suggest a warning label on saddles and such pointing out that threads and yarn can end up being choking hazards. Many people never consider this. I have a friend in India who was sure an old sweater would make a cozy bedding for a chick she rescued. The chick ended up choking on a piece of yarn and dying. Very sad and tragic.

 

[Hookershenhouse]

A few days ago I posted a reply to an OP who was relating a sad tale of a hen getting picked bloody. I posted a pic of three hens in sweaters. Everyone probably considered it a joke.

But hen sweaters are a very real alternative to regular hen saddles made of cloth. I had my neighbor, who crochets, knit one up for my BB Joyce who is constantly picked bald by the other hens, especially her neck. The fit is amazing and Joyce got used to it far more quickly than other saddles because it fits so snugly. There are no clumsy fasteners - just pulls on, wings first, then in goes her head, folding the excess over like, well, a turtleneck!

The patterns can be found on the internet.

I think Joyce looks singularly stylish, don't you?

Would your neighbor be willing to make me one? My Rooster is tearing up my hens neck.

 

[azygous]

Would your neighbor be willing to make me one? My Rooster is tearing up my hens neck.

Since I participated on this thread, my view od crocheted saddles has changed. The yarn can become unraveled and it then becomes a choking hazard. My neighbor no longer lives by me, at any rate.