Hen won't wear saddle but needs it

[urrout]

I have a hen that is all bear on her back end. A few days ago she was red & irritated. Don't don't if this was caused by a rooster (2 roosters to 15 hens) or if sunburned or combination of both so I brought her in the house while I ordered hen saddles from amazon. They finally came but they won't wear them & freak out running around like a crazy chicken. I only tried them on 2 hens but can't see the others not reacting the same way. I'm hoping the saddles I ordered are not "good" ones. Anybody know where I can get saddles, in Canada preferably to lessen shipping time? Or am I putting them on wrong? I don't want to have to isolate her from the flock again. Please help?

 

[DobieLover]

I have a hen that is all bear on her back end. A few days ago she was red & irritated. Don't don't if this was caused by a rooster (2 roosters to 15 hens) or if sunburned or combination of both so I brought her in the house while I ordered hen saddles from amazon. They finally came but they won't wear them & freak out running around like a crazy chicken. I only tried them on 2 hens but can't see the others not reacting the same way. I'm hoping the saddles I ordered are not "good" ones. Anybody know where I can get saddles, in Canada preferably to lessen shipping time? Or am I putting them on wrong? I don't want to have to isolate her from the flock again. Please help?

Welcome to BYC!

Can you please post a link to the saddles you bought?

I had three very bare backed girls that I put saddle on. I purchased them on Etsy.
My biggest girl one day managed to get hers off but I put it back on her. They certainly hate having them put on and were agitated but after a short time, got over it. I removed them in early fall before the molt.

I would spend some time with the flock daily and observe who is doing the most mounting of the hens. It doesn't really seem to matter if you have an "acceptable" ratio of roosters to hens. Some boys are obsessed with a handful of hens and are at them all the time. I removed one of the roosters from my flock of 2 roosters to 26 hens. After the molt last year, all the girls backs are in good shape now with no bare spots.

What are you feeding the flock? A good quality feed with 18-20% protein year round seems to help them keep in good feather.

 

[urrout]

Thanks for the reply. I bought these. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08DXL885Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They were not just agitated, they went crazy. I just can't see them settling down after a bit. I am afraid to even try again. I have separated the roosters from these hens but I still have to worry about sunburn. These hens are 10 months old & all was fine until the weather warmed up.