If you have hens and a rooster, you probably know that the rooster will pick a few favourite hens to give most of his attention to. This results in missing feathers on the hen's back and wings. A while ago, I found out that there are such things as
Flock Frocks and
Hen Savers, which cover the hen's saddle, allowing the feathers to grow back. I made a few for my hens, Kitty, Clementine and Lizzy.
I started by just guessing a shape based on pictures of Hen Savers. I made a red one with pink hearts that didn't really fit Kitty. Then I tried again, tracing the old one onto different fabric, making a few adjustments.
I had to adjust the green one to fit Kitty better, and later made a pattern since I was going to make Lizzy a sweater. I used a soft denim for the bottom layer for Lizzy's to make the sweater thicker and heavier so it would lay flatter on her back, since Clementines and Kittys sometimes shift and stick up.
Each sweater took a pretty short time - half of an hour, maybe. I sewed the elastic so it would be adjustable, so it would be easier to put the sweater over the hen's wing. I also sewed at around the edges to make it flat.
I put the sweaters on the chickens at night so they would wake up with it on. They don't mind it at all! Clementine's back it a lot better now, it used to be partly bald. Plus, now the hens are much more fashionable! :)
You can see that Lizzy's fits better than Kitty's sweater.
Clementine:
