All of those outfits for chickens look cute, but they are such a bad idea. First of all, chickens wearing them aren’t any warmer - in fact, they compress the feathers against the body, preventing the birds from fluffing their feathers. As with any insulation, the fluffier the better. Compressed feathers can’t properly trap warm air.
Second, (and now ladies I’m mostly speaking to you) ever pull on a pair of knit stockings or leggings over razor stubble legs? Not real comfy, is it? Knitted sweaters pull on those feathers as the chickens move, usually against the direction the feathers grow. Ouch!
Third, dust bathing is instinctive to chickens. It helps exfoliate dead skin layers and that pesky chicken dander, soothes itching, and absorbs excess oil from vigorous preening. Chicken ‘clothing’ negates all of that.
And fourth, surfaces in most chicken setups are far from silky smooth. What happens to the poor chicken when a sweater snags on a rough spot in the coop or a wire on the run? Worst case scenario the chicken can be injured trying to free itself if it’s badly hooked up. At the very least if she doesn’t get hung up but there’s suddenly a long bit of yarn trailing off her, the others can’t resist pulling on it. She defends herself and a suddenly peaceful flock is constantly picking at her. Not conducive to a peaceful long winter season.
So yep, for a quick photo op or on a bird in severe molt during winter, I can turn a blind eye. But for active, healthy birds they are not only unnecessary but downright risky.
Second, (and now ladies I’m mostly speaking to you) ever pull on a pair of knit stockings or leggings over razor stubble legs? Not real comfy, is it? Knitted sweaters pull on those feathers as the chickens move, usually against the direction the feathers grow. Ouch!
Third, dust bathing is instinctive to chickens. It helps exfoliate dead skin layers and that pesky chicken dander, soothes itching, and absorbs excess oil from vigorous preening. Chicken ‘clothing’ negates all of that.
And fourth, surfaces in most chicken setups are far from silky smooth. What happens to the poor chicken when a sweater snags on a rough spot in the coop or a wire on the run? Worst case scenario the chicken can be injured trying to free itself if it’s badly hooked up. At the very least if she doesn’t get hung up but there’s suddenly a long bit of yarn trailing off her, the others can’t resist pulling on it. She defends herself and a suddenly peaceful flock is constantly picking at her. Not conducive to a peaceful long winter season.
So yep, for a quick photo op or on a bird in severe molt during winter, I can turn a blind eye. But for active, healthy birds they are not only unnecessary but downright risky.
This may sound stupid but does she still have her tongue? I had a 3 yr old crossed beak. I recently lost her to a fox and I'm still sick about it. I fed her crumbles I tried mash but for her the regular crumbles worked best. I know my situation is completely different than yours. Good luck...
