Diapering your duck, goose or chicken is the first step to enjoying the rewarding experience of living with one of these amazing creatures. It not only keeps your house clean, it gives your little feathered kid the freedom to go where you go and do what you do! IMPORTANT! The measurement shown below must be included with any order for birds 4 weeks old or older. When ordering harnesses in advance for a growing bird, give the duckling's/gosling's measurement at the time of the order. For all orders, give measurement, breed, age and sex, if possible. Do not guess at the size. Do not try to figure out how big they are going to be. Do not add inches thinking too big is better than too small. Baby harnesses should be ordered before the ducklings arrival or not after it is one week old. They can be put on at one week and will last until it is 3-4 weeks old. Pkg. of 4 in graduating sizes $11.95 To order on line, go to AVIAN FASHIONS I am no longer making separate growth and adult harnesses. Now they are one and the same, and all harnesses (with the exception of the smallest size, under 7" ducks) will have velcro and snap costume attachments and a leash loop. The important thing now is not the age, but the size. The harnesses now adjust for size more easily and continuosly for up to 2 inches. But if your bird is still growing, you must pay attention to how tight the harness is across the tail and the size of the pouch. Even though the harness may be long enough, it may become too tight around the tail and the pouch size may become too small. This is when go to a larger harness. A sure sign that the harnesss isn't fitting right, is poop spilling out, etc. The different breeds of ducks/geese will need from 1 to 3 harnesses of varying sizes to fit them properly as they grow up. See below to determine how many your bird will need. If you order two in advance, one will be larger than the other. If your bird is not full grown and you order two, I will assume you want 2 different sizes for growth. If otherwise, please designate or let us know. Harnesses have attachments for outfits and a loop to attach a leash. (I use retractable dog leashes) A harness that is worn every day will last a year or more. Adult Diaper Harness $34.95 ea. To order on line, go to AVIAN FASHIONS NOW, YOU CAN ENJOY HARNESSES IN 4 COLORS....RED, BLACK, BEIGE AND WHITE. HARNESSES ARE CONNECTED AT THE TAIL AND AT THE BACK OF THE NECK WITH PLASTIC RELEASE BUCKLES. STRAPS ARE ADJUSTABLE WITH SLIDERS LIKE BRA STRAPS. IF YOU WISH TO ORDER HARNESSES IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR BABY..... Small breeds: Mallard, Call, Black East Indie, Wood duck, Khaki Campbell, Indian Runner, Crested................................................... will need 1 harness Medium Breeds: Muscovy, Pekin, Cayuga, Rouen, Buff, Magpie, Saxony, Blue Swedish and the production Toulouse goose, Buff goose, Sebastopol goose, Pilgrim goose and Chinese goose......................................... will need 2 harnesses Large Breeds: Embden, African, and Giant Dewlap Toulouse geese. .... will need 3 harnesses NOTE: The size of the breed just tells you how many harnesses you will need before it is grown. It tells me the shape, build and weight. You do not order a "small breed" harness, etc. To order, all you need is the breed, age and the measurement. FAQ Is the harness reusable? Yes, it is easily washed and quickly dried. What is in the harness? Baby harnesses hold a piece of sanitary pad (MaxiPad, etc.). Growth and adult harnesses hold a piece of baby disposable diaper. You will be told what size diaper to purchase in the instructions that come with it. How often do they need changing? Since they grow so fast and are growing feathers, they eat a lot and need changing more frequently (1 to 3 hrs.) until they are grown. Once they are adults, they cut down on the food gradually and usually need changing about every 4 hours for the first couple of years. Most can wear the harness overnight at about 5 mos...some earlier..some later. As they get older, the diapers last longer. My 5 and 7 year old geese can last up to 8 hours. There are variations depending on the breed and their diet. Is the harness comfortable? Yes, it is made of soft, stretchy material and does not interfere with their movement at all. They can even fly in them. Do their bottoms get messy? Normally they don't. The diaper absorbs the moisture and the pouch keeps it away from them. If the diaper is very full as it may be in the morning, they could be a bit messy, but morning bath time takes care of that. Other variables are diet. Too many veggie treats or dabbling in mud will make for a messy, smelly diaper. Are they smelly? The smell is not like that of a dog or cat as they are primarily vegetarians. Ducks eat more protein (worms, insects, etc.) than geese so they can be a bit smellier. Babies will be smellier than adults as their feed is richer in protein. Diet is important. A good poultry feed mixed with scratch (cracked grains) produces less odor and mess. Laying birds may have more mess and smell as they eat a lot of higher protein feed and less grain at that time. Some birds seem to have little or no odor while others seem to have some odor no matter what they are fed. I have encouraged people to smell Maggie goose late in the afternoon when she hasn't been changed for 5 hours, and they are amazed that they smell nothing! Does the harness have to be removed to change the diaper? No, you unsnap the tail strap, remove the soiled diaper, put it in a plastic bag, put a clean pad in and snap the tail strap. I have done it in 10 seconds in a crowd and they never knew what I was doing! What if my duck doesn't like it? Make sure it is comfortable and fits properly. It should be very snug, but if you can slide a finger under the straps easily, it is fine. If you only leave it on a short time and take it off because your duck is pouting (yes, they do that!), pulling at it, refusing to walk, etc. it will never work. All you have done is teach your duck that she can train you! Sympathize all you want, but leave the harness on. The longer you leave it on in the beginning, the quicker the duck will decide it is okay. If you diaper when it is a baby, it will take it for granted and many ducks start helping you put it on when they are about 3-5 mos. old. They put their chest down and tail up. For some reason, geese don't usually do this, but they are fine with it. What if the harness doesn't fit? Sizing the harness is the hardest part. Even in the same breed, some ducks are fatter than others, etc., so I can make mistakes. The first thing to do if the harness doesn't fit right is to call me.. 520 631-3320 . I need to make sure you are putting it on right before I can determine the problem, and I need to know where it doesn't fit. A little detail about putting it on can cause a big problem. I discovered one very intelligent lady was putting it on upside down! It is much easier to ask questions and solve the problem quickly on phone than go back and forth with e-mails. If it is the wrong size, I will send another right away and you can return the one you have. No matter what it takes, whether I have made a mistake or you have measured wrong, I will make one that will fit your bird! My duck/goose is over a year old. Will it accept a diaper harness ? If your bird is imprinted (go to Imprint ) on you or is very friendly and lets you pick it up, follows you, etc., you should have no problem. Just be sure to follow the instructions in the previous question. They expect Mom to know best so if you act nervous or uncertain and keep putting it on and taking it off, they will not feel confident with it. If you let them know it is a fact of life that indoor ducks wear diapers, they will be fine. IF YOU THINK OF ANY QUESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE ADDED HERE, LET ME KNOW AT CONTACT US .