This is a handsome Einstein sporting his new chicken diaper ready to go play in the house.
What the heck is a chicken diaper? Is it a dance, a gadget, a new game, or a name you call someone who irritates you? No, it’s exactly what the name says it is. You put it on a real live chicken so it can come in the house and not leave little (or big) messes all over the place. The amount of poop a chicken creates depends on who you ask. Some say they poop 3 to 6 times a day, while others call them a constant poop machine. I understand that composted chicken poop makes great fertilizer for your garden.
I have a gourding friend name Kayla. Kayla, like so many others these days, has backyard chickens. One day she was over and discovered I sew, A LOT. She hinted, not too subtly (Kayla doesn’t do subtle), that I should make her some chicken diapers. Not convinced, I made her come with me to the computer to look them up. Sure enough chicken diapers are a real thing. You can buy them online or you can find instructions on how to make them.
I thought, if I actually made some, I could say that the weirdest things I’ve ever made were chicken diapers and a gourd egg turner. You know, those things you use to turn chicken eggs in an incubator to keep all sides warm before they hatch. Really, do weird and chickens go together?
A finished Diaper ready to put on the chicken. Won’t he look handsome.
To make chicken diapers you start with soft fabric and soft elastic so nothing chafes their sensitive skin and feathers. There is a pouch that goes over the nasty end to catch the poop. Did you know that chickens don’t urinate, they only poop. The pouch is connected to a strip of fabric that lays over the abdomen and chest. The pouch and chest strip are connected together over the back by the soft elastic in such a way that it doesn’t wring their neck or hamper their wings in any way. Sometimes people put pretty bows or other decorations on the chicken’s back. I saw one chicken diaper that was made with a full cape to cover an entire neurotic chicken so he couldn’t pull out his own feathers.
Pattern made, pinned, and ready to cut out.
So first, I drew up a pattern for the chest/belly strap and pouch based on a compilation of the various patterns I saw online. I hemmed the strap to make it neat and connected it to the pouch. I added a bit of elastic to the pouch to help keep the poop in. Next, I securely added 2 pieces of elastic to the end of the strap and 2 more to the pouch end. The final design problem was how to connect the 4 pieces of elastic so they can be somewhat adjustable and the chicken diaper would also stay down the center of the back away from the wings. I didn’t want something that had to go over the chicken’s head and bother their comb. I also didn’t want something where you had to push or pull their wings through. I decided to connect it with Velcro placed onto matching fabric squares attached to the ends of each elastic. That way it can open up entirely but be connected when closed. One of the squares is actually a rectangle so it would connect to all the other pieces. After that, I saw no reason not to add a bit of embellishment for the pretty hens.
The only thing left is to add folded paper towel into the pouch and then tuck the chicken’s derriere into the pouch, connect the Velcro and see if I have to go back to the drawing board. I expect the chicken to fuss a bit about having to wear a diaper. Hopefully, it will get use to it and see the advantage of being able to come in the house and socialize.
Update: This chicken diaper fit the Bantam Rooster, named Einstein, perfectly and was too small for the larger chickens. It didn’t seem to bother Einstein too much as he posed nicely for a fashion photo shoot. He then ran over to his coop mates to confer about his new fashion accessory.
Why Can't I Make Just One 
So are there 5 seperat pieces of elastic ? 1 for each elastic end and 1 big piece to connect them?
I want to make this for my grandmother as she has a giant chicken that she is having registered as a service animal and it will need this.
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Yes, there are 5 pieces of elastic. The 4 small ones go over the shoulders and back of the chicken. The 5th pieces to loosely make the pouch that goes over the tail. I measured the chicken from the tip of the tail, under the belly and chest, over the shoulders, down the back and to the tip of the tail to get the size. The pouch needs to be large and loose enough that it doesn’t crumple the feathers. Also the whole thing needs to fit without being too tight or so loose it flops around and gets caught on things. Good luck and I hope it works. Let me know if you need any other help. I think a chicken as a service animal is wonderful.
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do you have a specific pattern? I have a special needs girl I could really use this for.
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Dana, I did create a pattern. Unfortunately I don’t have it electronically. I do have a close up picture of it that gives the dimension. It is pretty easy to duplicate. My email address is bawhitbeck@aol.com. If you want me to send those please send an email and I will reply. I couldn’t get the picture to send from here.
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Would share your chicken pattern? I’m having trouble getting one made. Also I would like to make a pants pattern for chickens but not sure how to get started. Have you ever made pants for chickens?
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I have never made pants for a chicken, but they sure are cute. The pictures above give my pattern. I had to measure the chicken to make it the right size, so a pattern that can be traced can’t really be used. The diaper has a pouch that goes over the tail loosely runs along the chest with a thinner strip with elastic the goes down the back so it doesn’t interfere with the wings. I wish I would just email a pattern for you to copy, but I don’t have one, just the paper pieces a cut for this particular chicken. Good Luck.
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Thank u for just showing me how I need to lay things out! I had an idea but was getting myself overwhelmed! Thanks for making me see this much better. I’m very much a visual learner. I wonder if this would be the same kinda pattern for my ducks? I have a handicapped duck who needs help asap and her companion both need diapers before I loose my mind.
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