Do We Have to Worry About Chicken Diapers Now, Too?

This is according to The Outline, which reported on Thursday that, “Well-dressed chickens have become an Instagram staple,” and that diapers are one of several popular pet chicken accessories. I believe that this may be the definitive piece on chicken diapers since The Outline “contacted nearly a dozen chicken-diaper and-saddle vendors to ask about their sales figures.”

Julie Baker, who launched Pampered Poultry in 2010, told The Outline that she began selling chicken diapers mainly to her friends, real chicken aficionados who went to poultry shows and such, but that soon people without ties to the poultry community were ordered the diapers and posting pictures of their chickens wearing them on Instagram. Baker now sells between 500 and 1,000 diapers a month for $18 apiece!

There are lots of great tidbits about chicken diapers in the article—as far as I’m concerned, all the information is there—but what interested me most was to learn how these devices work, and that they might work differently depending on the brand:

“Connecticut resident Traci Torres, the owner of My Pet Chicken, said that some of her diapers have velcroed-in liners that owners remove once soiled—usually around two to three times per day —and then replace with another liner. Other diapers are moisture-resistant, so that owners can simply remove the whole diaper, wipe out the excreta, and throw it in the wash. Other diapers are more lo-fi, recommending that a person place a paper towel inside the diaper and simply remove it once sullied. Most chicken diapers are machine washable and intended to endure for months (the industry is nothing if not sustainable).”

So the answer to the question posed in the headline is, of course, no, you don’t need to worry, these diapers will keep your chickens covered and are easy to use!