Burtie14 Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 Thanks Omlet, our chicken saddle has arrived promptly, and very pretty it is too. But... There are no directions at all! How do I attach it to my troubled chicken?? Do the little hooks go over the wings, or the legs, or what...? Suggestions (or better still diagrams) please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 The loops go over the wings and the sides of the saddle tuck under the wings is the best way I can think of describing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burtie14 Posted August 11, 2010 Author Share Posted August 11, 2010 The loops go over the wings and the sides of the saddle tuck under the wings is the best way I can think of describing it. Thanks - I supposed that would be the case. I have to say it doesn't look like the wings are going to fit through without quite a lot of unnatural bending! I'll wait until Jim's in a very docile mood. I have to say I'm not looking forward to this, having seen a few youtube clips of chickens with saddles, it looks like they go absolutely mental when they''re first put on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burtie14 Posted August 11, 2010 Author Share Posted August 11, 2010 ... and I've also just seen that there are instructions on the website. Y'know, where I ordered it from... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallyChook Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 I bought a saddle for my gold laced orpie Morgana after she became Sir Lancelot(RIP)'s favourite passtime. I had such high hopes, and she was relatively well behaved when I first fitted it, but sadly it didnt last. Every time SL hopped on to tread her it would ride up, and fold back on itself making her look like the evil queen from snow white or Dracula with the big collar up behind her head, and all her baldie bits exposed! She'd run round hte garden in a fit with this big hood behind her, my husband said it looked like a drag race car that had let out it's parachute things to stop it at the end of the runway and then the wind changed. Poor girl. Then Sir Lancelot died, and now instead of head honcho and favoured girl, the new cockerel has designated her bottom of the pecking order and chases/bullies her. It seems no end of problems for Morgana. She's gone from balding due to overloving to just plain old miserable... I hope you have much better luck than we did with your hen saddle, I have heard that they can work miracles and I'm hoping it works for you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burtie14 Posted August 11, 2010 Author Share Posted August 11, 2010 Oh no, what a sad story! Poor Morgana! Great description though of the parachute... Hopefully as Jim is only being pecked at rather than ravaged by a cockerel, there's more chance of it staying put. I did explain to him last night what is going to happen, but I'm not sure he was really listening... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 I've just noticed your descriptions of your chooks When putting the saddle on pull the strap to one side so you have maximum space to get the first wing in. You have to get it over the 'elbow joint' so to speak and its a bit easier with 2 people, one to hold the chicken and the other to do the fiddling. Its really hard to explain, sorry! If you have the right size for the bird it should fit OK (you can get them in different sizes). Birds don't like it much whilst you fit it but it does work. The other thing is - don't be fooled by the chicken. Last year one of ours had a saddle all summer - no probs. We went to fit it again this year and we got it on her but then she sank to her knees and sat motionless and I thought we might have killed her off with a heart attack so I took it off again Of course we hadn't and she ran off. But to make everyone's life easier I went off and bought a bigger size for her so she's now wearing it fine. We have heavy fowl and the cockeral makes such a mess of their backs I can't risk going saddleless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 There are some excellent instructions, with photos, here http://www.orpingtonsuk.com/poultrysaddle.html I've bought saddles from here now. They are a bit more rigid than the FlyteSoFancy/Omlet sort (which is't necessarily a good thing) but they are adjustable, which is fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 I might try these next - thats a good price too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallyChook Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 that's the brand of the one I had... I think I will try a softer one next time as if it had been a bit more flexible, it might not have gone up and stayed up! Also the adjustable bit came off within 3 days and I ended up replacing the ties/string bit with a piece of elastic inserted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burtie14 Posted August 12, 2010 Author Share Posted August 12, 2010 Wow, thanks guys. The photos are really helpful. I can't help but smile at how in every photo I've seen of a chicken in saddle, the chook always looks really unimpressed. "Yes, I know I look silly. How much longer do I have to wear this thing please? And you say this is for MY benefit?!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
