Chicken Saddles

If you’re new to raising chickens, you may not know about chicken saddles, but these handy cloth aprons keep your poultry healthy by protecting their skin. Typically used in poultry mating, these saddles can also help keep a wounded bird healthy by protecting her skin until she heals.

Saddles

What is a chicken saddle?

It is also called a "hen apron," which refers to a thick protective cloth covering the hens wear daily. Overarchingly, the saddle protects the hen’s skin from roosters. Roosters can become overzealous when mating with hens. For it to occur, the rooster must stand on the hen’s back. In order to balance himself on top of the hen during intercourse, he must use his claws to hold onto her back and his spurs to remain upright. Unless the birds wear hen mating saddles or aprons from their first mating availability, this activity results in the hen's feathers breaking and eventually breaking her skin.

Hen Saddle Designs

The fabric used in hen saddle designs varies. Typically, manufacturers use denim or cotton. The poultry saddles that Stromberg’s offers use a snappy paisley in a cotton/polyester blend. The saddle attaches using comfortable elastic straps that fit around the female bird’s wings. Your hens won’t mind this stylish and functional barnyard wear.

Other Uses of Poultry Saddles

Other animals consider poultry as prey and may attack your hens. Once they tear out a hen’s feathers, the bird must wait until the next molt for them to grow back. Until that time, nothing protects her back, and others may peck at her, causing sores or wounds. Placing an apron on her protects your injured hen’s skin. In colder regions, these aprons offer an extra layer of warmth for your birds. Those with thin or no feathers on their backs need the extra insulation to protect them from frostbite.

Shop at Stromberg’s for Poultry Saddles

Order your chicken aprons and hen saddles from us today. We offer two sizes: bantam and chicken.