How to Make a Chicken Costume

Last Updated: February 7, 2022

Dressing up as a chicken is surprisingly fun for babies, kids and adults. You get to wrap yourself in feathers for a day and perfect your chicken dance. Make a chicken costume by putting together a feathered body suit, a chicken hat and yellow feet.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making the Body Suit

1
Find two white leotards with long-sleeved arms. For a slim chicken costume, you can stick with one leotard. For a plump chicken, you will need two.
2
Set one leotard aside. Wrap two to four white feather boas around the body of one leotard. Start in the center back of the neck and secure the boa to the fabric with safety pins.
- Make sure that the boas are wrapped with a few spare inches in each parallel, so that the costume can be filled with batting.
- Meanwhile, spiral the boas as closely as you can to each other so that you can get full coverage in your costume.
- For a more durable costume, sew the feather boas to the leotard.
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3
Find bright yellow tights to wear underneath your leotard. Choose sweater tights or lined tights so that your skin doesn't show through.
4
Put on the leotard without the feathers before you get dressed up. Wrap several layers of white wool batting around your torso to make a plump chicken. Then, pull the feathered leotard over the wool batting.^{[1]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making the Chicken Hat

1
Find a white pilot cap that ties underneath the chin. You can also find and wear a novelty chicken hat in place of this homemade model.
2
Print a template of a chicken comb, such as the one on this site: http://luckyhensrescuenorthwest.weebly.com/fundraising-help.html You can also draw one freehand.
3
Fold a one-foot piece of red felt in half. Trace around the template with a fabric pen. Cut through both layers of red felt around the template.
4
Layer the two pieces of felt with the inside out. Sew the perimeter of the top edge of the comb together. Turn the shape right side out.
5
Stuff the comb with extra wool batting and pin it to the top of the cap. Sew the remaining edge shut, while sewing it onto the white pilot cap. You should attach the chicken comb from the center front to the center back of the cap, like a mohawk.
- Once attached, the wool batting will keep the comb stiff. Tuck more into the comb before you finish sewing if it falls to the side.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Making the Feet

1
Find two large yellow rubber gloves. For a child's costume, you can find a small pair. For an adult costume, you will need to find extra large rubber gloves.
2
Stuff the fingers of the rubber gloves with wool batting. They should stick straight out.
3
Slip a sneaker inside each glove. The end of the sneaker must be flush with the fingers of the glove. Converse or Keds sneakers work well for this costume.
4
Pull the top of the glove as tight as you can, so the fingers arch up a little. This will prevent tripping when you wear the costume.
5
Cut a small slit just over the laces on the sneakers. Pull the laces through so that you can tie them.
6
Gather the extra glove from the bottom, sides and top of the sneaker. Wrap them around each other like you are wrapping a package. Glue the pieces to each other with super glue.
- Allow the gloved shoes to dry overnight.
- Avoid gluing the rubber to your shoe, so that you can dismantle the costume later on.
7
Put the rubber glove/shoes on over your yellow tights. Wrap your ankles with an extra piece of white feather boa and tie them securely in the back.
8
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I make a beak?

Dean

Community Answer

Use orange construction paper taped together with tape. Add two holes in the sides with string going through them that can be fitted around the head of the person wearing it.
Question

To make it look better, can I add more boas on to the costume?

Community Answer

Sure. It might be cheaper to buy some yarn in the color of the chicken you would like to be and then glue or sew it onto a body suit.