How to Make a Chicken Saddle
NOTE: While I enjoy making these saddles, I am currently overwhelmed with unfinished projects on the homestead and no longer offering to make saddles for others. The below instructions should step you through making your own in no time!
If a hen is being over-mated, she may begin to lose the feathers on her back from the rooster’s spurs and nails. I have even read of cases where the rooster’s spurs have actually slashed through the skin on a hen’s back.
Initially, I thought my hens were molting. I had heard others talk about “rooster tracks” on hens, but I was in complete denial that it was happening to my hens. My cousin, Julie, finally set me straight, and when I realized I have several hens that are being over-mated, I was quite upset. My once beautiful hens were looking ragged and bald spots began appearing on their backs. It upset me because a molt would be temporary. It would naturally end and my hens would have their beautiful feathers again. Rooster tracks made me feel helpless. I just wasn’t sure how to deal with it.
This is a picture of one of the hen’s back. I’m holding her on her side so Bernie could get a good picture of her back:
Ouch! After doing a little research, I decided to make a chicken saddle. A chicken saddle is material that you secure to the hen’s back to help protect it from rooster spurs.
This particular chicken saddle is for one of my White Faced Black Spanish hens. They tend to be rather large, so keep that in mind if you use these instructions to make a saddle for a smaller hen. Simply altering the pattern by an inch or so should do it.
Because I will likely end up making several of these, I started by making a template out of cardboard:
I cut the card board in an 8 1/2″ X 8 1/2″ square. Then I cut out the wing area by leaving 3 inches in the center of the top and cutting a curve to each side that ends 6 1/2 inches from the bottom.
Whether you use a template or not, cut an 8 1/2″ X 17″ piece of material. This is easily done by folding the material in half and cutting it 8 1/2″ wide, and 8 1/2″ on each side.
Iron fusible interfacing to the back side of the material.
Fold the material in half, right side together.
If you are using a template, lay the template on top of the folded material – the top of the template with two semi-cirles is placed on the fold of the material.
Cut out the two semi-circles, which are the “wing holes” for the saddle. Then round the bottom edges.
When the material is unfolded and laying face up, it should look like this:
With the material folded, right sides together, begin sewing them together on a 1/4″ seam- be sure to leave about 4 inches UNSEWN at the bottom. You’ll need this to pull it right side out when finished. Also, do NOT sew completely up to the fold at the top. Leave about 1/2 inch on each side. You’ll need this to insert the elastic. Below is the saddle sewn (wrong sides together), and then right sides pulled out through the hole in the bottom.
Cut two 5 1/2″ strips of 1/4″ elastic. Insert the ends of the elastic into the holes on each side of the top of the saddle. Sew the elastic in place, and sew a 1/4 inch seam around the entire saddle. Then quilt it by sewing two lines down the front to hold the two pieces of material together.
Add snaps on the end of the elastic, and place the other end of the snaps about 1/2″ from the edge of the bottom of the wing holes.
You should bring the elastic around to snap it under the chicken’s wing, like this:
I layed the saddle, snaps down, on my White Faced Black Spanishs’ back. Then I lifted each wing, brought the elastic under the wing, and snapped it to the material.
Just look at how pretty she is in her new chicken saddle!
Perfect. Especially the elastic placement. Thanks!
I can’t wait to make these for my hens this weekend. Thanks for posting!
Thank you so much for this information!! It will really help my girls. God bless you.
Thank heavens for this post. It saved my girl! Thank you. http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/02/hen-saver.html
I made these for my hens and they are finally getting some feathers back. Thanks
Can I ask why you use fusible webbing between the two layers?
Hi Jess – I use the fusible webbing to keep the two pieces of material secured to each other and stronger so that the saddle stands up to rooster tracks better.
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Thank you for posting this!
I made one. It ws the first time I had sewn anything in decades…. I even remembered how to use the sewing machine. But it is too big and she can get it right off. I think the elastics are too long, but how long are the ones in your picture? I am worried about making them too small and hurting her wings, but she took it right off, and the straps were just hanging.
just re-read the instructions again, and you wrote that this was for a larger chicken. I am going to take an inch out of the width by making a seam down the middle. I shortened the elastics quite a bit. Will post pictures if it works.
I hope the smaller size works for you! I’d love to see a picture.
You want to hear something funny? When I first saw the picture, it looked sort of like a diaper — so I thought it was for the rooster, to solve the over-mating problem that way!
Hey I just tried this and my saddles look awesome! But when I put them on my Laced Wyandottes they just went insane. They were ramming themselves against some old branches in the yard to try to get the coats off. They have also been huddling up in corners staying away from the others. Should I be worried?
Susan – that made me laugh! I can see why you thought that though. Too funny.
HaveaHen – My hens have never reacted that way, but I’ve heard others say theirs acted similar to yours. I suggest putting the saddles on your girls when it gets dark and then placing them back on their roost with their new saddle for the night. It may help them get used to it overnight and not be so stressed about it the next day.
basicliving has a good idea. I laughed out loud as well. Perhaps if it were approached like new glasses, after the overnight adjustment, if not completely successful, then an hour more every day until they adapt. My solution has always been much more expensive….buy hens until i can give away two with every rooster….Just can’t seem to get my family to eat anyone they have been introduced to….It is usually only about once a year one of the Bantam hens will raise a secret brood. Last winter the secret brood resulted in one little pullet (who died) and four identical cockerels, two of whom will be relocated to our friends in a week or so. The Bantam roosters with standard hens is an effective way to keep the hens safe from predators (well, at least in an early warning way) and have them escorted and shepherded, but the Bantam roosters do much less damage during their romantic episodes.
Something else…this week the Guineas did something unexpected. The four little cockerels were about to start hounding one of the hens, and two of the guineas placed themselves between the hen and the little roosters, effectively stopping the unpleasant event. End of story. Interesting. These guys are NOT meat with feathers. In the fourteen years i have lived closely with them I have enjoyed their social structure, quiet night time singing to each other, and in times of stress, how nice and warm and soft a chicken can be to hug.
bhaskardancer – Our turkeys do something very similar – both the hens and the jakes/toms. When a rooster makes unwelcome advances on a chicken hen, the turkeys will get between the hen and rooster, and even chase the rooster around the yard. Amazing isn’t it?
I love my chickens. I really do enjoy being around them. (they are probably the most spoiled chickens in Oklahoma) Today the fox was in the road in broad daylight. But the dogs are on guard/Fox duty at the gates, and the hue and cry got me out there to scare him away. I guess we have gotten a little off topic…sorry.
I’m making several right now. Thanks for the tip and pattern.
I tried your suggestion. It seemed to work for at least one of the hens. But soon they all found a way to work their way out of the saddles. Too bad. I didn’t use the fusible webbing between the two pieces of cloth, maybe that’s the problem. Maybe when their stronger they’re be more comfortable and stay flat on their backs easier….
HaveaHen – The snaps are still snapped, but they wiggle out of the saddle? It sounds as though the elastic may be a little too long for them. When you snap the elastic around their wings it should be snug, but not too tight. Basically, once I get the saddles on mine, it doesn’t really move from side to side on their back when I tug on it. That’s how it should fit. Does this make sense? I’ve always used the fusible webbing, so I have no idea what the difference is when it’s not used. That may be the problem – but it would be a quicker and easier fix if the elastic is too long!
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Thanks for the pattern. I needed twelve of these PRONTO and didnt have the money to buy them, but I happened to have all of the supplies (except the binding)
I didn’t see that these were for bigger hens lol
I shortened the elastic and cut back the material an inch. I also added an indent for the tail.
Perfect fit, only every time she moves, it scrunches up her back.
Any suggestions?
Lindsay