Why'd the chicken cross the road? Because its lunatic owner was trying to force it into a f&*$@ng cardigan. Before you force your chicken's head through a mock turtleneck, learn why your chicken doesn't need to wear a sweater.
There's a reason The Gap only has Gap Kids and not Gap Chickens. There's no need to put a sweater on a chicken and here's why.
Do chickens need sweaters? NO.
- Chickens aren't people.
- Chickens aren't dogs.
- Chickens aren't toilet paper rolls.
- Chickens aren't tea pots.
- Chickens are covered in that stuff your really expensive winter coat and duvet are made of.
- Chickens think you have bad taste.
- Chickens have dignity. Except when eating their own poop.
- Chickens are bullies. And cannibals.
- Re: #8, If a chicken bullies another chicken for wearing a sweater they won't just laugh at them or trip them behind the chicken run. They'll eat their face off.
- Chickens need their faces.
As it stands, at this very moment, I'm down to two chickens. Mable and Josephine, a crotchety pair of half-sister spinsters who spend their days passing judgement on anyone who walks by them. I'm kind of waiting for these two to gently pass away in the night before I get a whole new batch of chickens.
They're both turning 8 this year. Why are they living so long? Because I don't humanize them. I mean other than when I kiss them and ask them if they had a good sleep. Instead of treating them as if they're humans I do something even BETTER. I treat them like chickens.
This post I have answers all the basic questions about how to take care of chickens and what to expect from them.
Yes they're pet chickens, but they're still chickens.
For the past decade the only thing that's been more popular than calligraphy or Instant Pot recipes on Pinterest ... are chicken sweaters. Every week at this time of year I get at least one Tweet, Facebook post or email about a chicken sweater. Mostly from people who don't have chickens.
These are the people who are fascinated by and love chicken sweaters, mainly because they don't completely understand a few things about chickens. Like the fact that if you gathered up 6 chickens and sewed them together they'd be a duvet.
Chickens don't need knit sweaters to stay warm. Do NOT.
I understand a chicken in a knit cape is kindda pretty. So let's get that out of the way.
A Silkie in a vest? Yeah, kindda cute in an Emo way.
This is not where I disagree with you. I think they look cute. Chickens seem to have an innate ability to appear distinguished even while wearing something that would look humiliating on any other bird.
Matching hats on the other hand? Not even a chicken can give that look any dignity. Seriously. If this gal had opposable thumbs she would use them to pop her owner's eyes out.
(note: I didn't link to any photo sources because my point isn't to call out anyone who makes or sells chicken sweaters ... it's to let the world know a chicken doesn't need a sweater)
Should chickens wear sweaters?
NO! So what's the number one, actual reason you shouldn't put a sweater on a chicken?
A sweater will make a chicken colder.
Chickens are kind of geniuses at regulating their own body temperature. Their temperatures can go from 105 F to 109 F depending on what they need any given day. When it's cold out they instinctively eat more which, through digestion, raises their temperature. They shiver, huddle and most importantly fluff out their feathers when they're cold.
Fluffing their feathers is the most effective thing a chicken can do to keep itself warm. They puff up all their feathers and down to create a big duvet of insulation around them.
She wasn't terribly cold, but you can see Mabel's feathers fluffed up a bit as she gets ready to hunker down for bed tonight. You can especially see it in the feathers on her head.
Putting a sweater on them stops them from being able to do that. So no matter how cold they are or how hard they try, they can't puff their feathers out which are restricted by the stupid sweater.
Chickens also produce more moisture through their skin when they're trying to raise their body temperature. If you add a sweater to that chicken, the moisture gets stuck between the sweater and the chicken and yet again, makes the chicken colder.
As far as battery chickens, which seems to be where this rage started, they have no need for sweaters either. Battery chickens are the ones that come from battery cages and have often lost their feathers.
They're miserable, sad, little creatures that sometimes have their feathers plucked out by themselves and other birds. This results in a naked little chicken. Once they're adopted into a hen rescue, the owner of the naked chicken wants to give this little abused hen the absolute best life they possibly can from now on. So they shove the already indignant hen into a knit sweater.
Which the chicken hates.
Once a chicken loses its feathers due to a moult or trauma it will almost immediately start feathering out again, which can be a painful process.
- Having a knit or even hand crocheted sweater on it during this time will only irritate and hurt the chicken's little pin feathers. If you happen to come across a completely bald chicken in the middle of a winter snow storm you'd be better off bringing it into a mudroom or something similar. Nowhere that's actually hot, just less cold than the winter storm.
- Chickens also have a surprisingly difficult time taking their sweaters off when they want to have a bath.
- Even in the winter chickens keep themselves clean from mites and other pests with dust baths. If you provide them with a dust bath in their coop they'll use that, if not, they'll scratch and burrow into their bedding. They can't effectively do either of those things while wearing a turtleneck.
Neither could you.
And THAT is why chickens don't need a sweater.
If you want to keep your chickens warm in winter read my guide on How to Winterize a Chicken Coop.
If you want to read about why I'm one of the few people NOT looking for Instant Pot recipes on Pinterest, read this.
If you're still not convinced that you shouldn't put your chicken in a sweater do me a favour - get a notepad, go outside and start tallying how many frozen blocks of sparrows you see dropping from the sky. And how many of them out and about are wearing an argyle jumper.
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Ha! Amen and I laughed for half the day about your list. Let's hope Bedazzled chickens don't become a thing.
Hi Karen.
I have a friend who, when living on the farm, had a pet chicken. She kept it in a cage in her big farmhouse kitchen. She could open the cage door herself when she wanted out, and would go to the door to signal she wanted outside. Of course she would also peck on the outside door to come back in and would walk back into her cage. Often times, she would just walk around and ask for snacks. She never had an accident in the house. Henny Penny lived to the ripe old age of 10.
What a great story! Who'd a thunk it?
Wow! Who knew chickens wore sweaters! How can we get this message from Karen further afield?
There are a few really stupid comments on here though, that must have been hard for you to not answer Karen!
I had chickens, & although I live in a crazy hot part of South Africa, (It's 48 degrees celsius out there now, no idea what that is in fahrenheit! Around 130, I think! ) In winter when it gets really cold, my chickens just puffed themselves up looking like Blowfish, & survived! Onwards & upwards Karen! xx
I loved this post...so funny. What will people think of next?? I grew up on a little ole farm in Washington state right next to te border of Canada. (Which is why I was born in Canada), None of our chickens droped dead in the winter and we NEVER thought of sweaters for them. Sometimes the coop was warmer than outside. People can be so funny.
If you love a chicken, let it be the best chicken it possibly can be - just as God made them. Dogs have been hybridized by humans thus changing their needs. Poor pugs need to be able to breathe better but can't due to their shortened noses - so sad. Chickens are just like any other bird - plenty able to care for themselves. When a major polar vortex strikes, just provide what you already do, taking care to give shelter, water, and food. They will be 'happy chickens - like the happy snowman' - that doesn't actually exist in summer unless humans hybridized it also. Listen to Karen, everyone, she knows all about STUFF.
You are spot on! Those chickens in sweaters look seriously piffed--especially the one in the hat!! The same goes for people who dress their dogs or cats. Go get some counseling. Unless your animal is the hairless type or you put them in coats for a walk, quit that! (Although I have to confess--I did melt when I saw on the internet the pictures of the baby chicks in paper cupcake liners. They look like they are getting ready for their ballet recital.)
I can understand if the reason for clothing is for say to keep animal from cleaning it’s self and getting ingesting something that is at that moment on their body that is harmful to them. Other wise it’s just a retail scam to part people of there money in thinking that the animals Need said clothing.
I think the first of this trend I saw was early 90’s or possibly late 80’s when someone had the idea to make boots for them for the winter, so paws were not in contact with salt from roads.
An things expanded from there, sorry to say.
Once celebs started using such items on animals it exploded from there, very unfortunate I believe.
Anyone who dresses their chicks in sweaters shall immediately be zapped into a chicken suit and their thumbs will fall off!
I grew up on a working farm in Nova Scotia and I assure you...there were no chicken sweaters for the chickens. In the dead of winter, those miserable chickens were just fine. Your post about chicken sweaters...frickin funny 😆
One more thing, I have some fufu heads and I put their fluff ball on top in a pony tail holder so they could see. It did keep ther hair out of ther face and they could indeed see better, but one of them started scratching at it, and I came back a few hours later, and she had part of a string from the elastic in her throat and she was gagging on it! I pulled the dang thing off and cut her bangs instead. If you DO use an elastic, do NOT EVER use one with fluff on it! Use a covered one that they can't pull apart. Lesson learned, for me and hopefully for someone else out there with that bright idea hahahaaa.
All health reasons aside, why are you so god damn angry at the mere thought of animals wearing clothes? like understandably, chickens shouldn't wear them for the reasons you mentioned, but like... not all animals keel over and die the second you put them in a sweater. I used to have a balding boxer dog who would get really cold in the winter and fall, but whenever we gave her an oversized t-shirt to wear or *GASP* a goddamn dog sweater, she would be trotting around with a big doggy smile wiggling her little stubby tail with glee. Not to mention the fact that there are many cats who don't mind the simple bandana on the neck, or collar with a small bowtie attached. I'm just saying man, your kind of being a dick when you and your followers say stuff implying that everyone who has fun once in a while with clothed pets are stupid, or harming their animals. Just say that putting sweaters on chickens is un-advised and why, instead of saying that a sweater on a dog is "demeaning" because fun fact: If it's not uncomfortable or harmful, animals don't give a shit.
Boxers are DOGS. Have you ever seen a dog wearing a *feather* duvet?
Yes, dogs need sweaters in the winter. They don't fluff up their feathers to warm up. Many of them don't have very thick coats. But neither do they exude moisture to warm up, because dogs don't have sweat glands.
Why are you confusing dogs with chickens? They're not anything alike.
I totally agree with your stance about them being stupid. Although I am faced with a current issue where I cannot think of another solution other than using a sweater. We have a silkie. She got beat up by our rooster due to her lack of feather protection...like to the point of an open wound on her head and neck (scary stuff). The wounds are healed now, but I was at a loss how to protect her upon reintegration. So I found someone making turtle neck sweaters for chickens. Truly I abhor putting sweaters on chickens, but it's the only thing I can think of to cover her back from treading and her neck. If someone here has a better idea I am all ears, because she really hates it (only day 2, but she's stubborn). And getting rid of the roo is not an option. He's not overly aggressive...he's just being a rooster (in his first spring which I have heard means they are more frisky).
HI Brandi! You can use a chicken saddle. :) https://amzn.to/3frLblS ~ karen!
Thanks Karen. Yes, I got some of those already, they just don't come up the neck, and that is where the two worst wounds were. Hoping after this spring the roo mellows out and it won't be an issue, just worried in the meantime it might happen again.
Best,
Brandi
Hi Brandi! I did see some on Amazon that covered the neck area! ~ karen
But what if your chicken has lost a large amount of feathers and isn’t growing them back quickly enough and the weather suddenly gets cold at night and even when she has fluffed up all her feathers she has large bald patches and it’s quite windy so any heat she creates is blown off her and you find her one morning refusing to move and eat so you take her home, warm her up and she gets better but you can’t keep her home coz she stinks and you can’t let her out of the dark laundry coz you have a dog that wants to eat her.
Do you think it would be acceptable to put a light cotton jumper on her for night time and take it off when the sun comes up?
I’ve found heaps of info on why chickens shouldn’t wear jumpers but no useful info on keeping a chicken warm in an unusual situation like mine.
BTW she is on a high protein and calcium diet to help her new feathers come in but she came to me in this condition and I guess the stress of a new home is making the feathers take longer than normal. She doesn’t have mites or any other signs of poor health. She is very happy until she gets cold.
What about naked necks or other chickens that permanently wont feather in the area covered by the clothing? it also seems like a loose poncho would be less of an issue than a sweater.
Anything that stops them from being able to properly fluff up their feathers will be detrimental. You're better off leaving the hen with some bare spots than impeding their natural ability to stay warm. ~ karen!
Do ANY of you have any actual experience with chickens?
A highly favored hen is completely bald on her back from an overly enamored rooster, which leaves her no protection from his claws, and little from the 10F temperatures we'll experience tonight.
What we really, REALLY don't need is stupid chicken articles with no practical information what so ever.
That's not what chicken "sweaters" are for Mr. Munroe. If you think for a minute that a loose weave home knit sweater would do anything to protect a hen's back from rooster claws then I have to wonder if you yourself have ever owned chickens. The absolute worst thing you could ever do for a chicken in terms of warmth is tie her up into something that doesn't allow her to fluff her feathers out to allow air (which acts as insulation as we all know) between her down, feathers and skin. There are indeed saddles for hens who are routinely beaten up by roosters which cover only her bare back and leave the rest of her open to self regulate her temperature as is most effective. ~ karen
I read this way after it was first written, but I had to reply. My chicken needed something to keep it warm and I thought about a sweater, I really did. She was a cross-beak and could not eat enough to keep warm. I finally had to hand feed her and she could not even get a drink by herself. I loved that chicken and couldn't bear to put her down. So, I thought about the sweater. That seemed crazy though, so I brought her inside instead, which is probably equally crazy. In February, I got up the courage and had her put to sleep, but only after her entire jaw had twisted to the right as far as it could go and the top had start to go to the left. The sweater is not natural and makes them an easy catch for some hawk or other animal. Thanks for the good info.
One more reason. Knitting snags easily. Chickens live and range outdoors, jump and fly. They have a hard time getting out of the sweaters. Without those opposable thumbs they cannot untangle themselves. These things are a death trap - how long before a hen is hung by one!
As a chicken owner and advocate, I applaud and thank you for providing this information to those folks who insist on anthropomorphizing their pets!
One year I realized that my 6 growing hens were actually five hens and a rooster. The rooster later became quite aggressive towards me and the poor hens he was trying to mount. I read about saddle blankets and considered it for about a minute, then sent the rooster for a walk. Outside the pen. He was kind enough to provide the coyotes with a meal.
Excuse me now, it appears my dog has lost one of his cowboy boots...
I'm another one who never heard of chicken sweaters until reading this post. Apart from the whole you're putting a #$% what on a $%&* WHAT, knitting takes TIME. These poor crazy knitters--they do know they're never getting that time back, right?
Chicken are related to dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are related to reptiles. Reptiles are cold-blooded. Cold-blooded creatures need sweaters to keep warm on the cold winter nights.
Maybe the chicken sweaters were a gift from their extended family?
Like all extended family members, they should keep their ugly sweater gifts to themselves. ~ karen!