8 Chicken Breeds with Feathers on Their Feet – The Hen’s Loft

People raise chickens for many different reasons. The most common is for egg output, but chickens can besides be raised for shows, exhibitions, as pets, or merely to enjoy. Chickens come in hundreds of different breeds. In fact, there are over 500 breeds worldwide although not every breed is officially recognized. Within each engender, there are diverse color variations. They can besides be bred in different sizes like bantam and standard. With all the choices there are, it may be difficult to narrow down which chicken breed you want to raise.

Your choice merely got easy if you have one particular trait in mind. Are you a fan of feather feet ? If you have your sights set on a feather-footed engender, first, define your goals for raising your flock. You are looking at a well 6 to 10 years or more, which is the life of most chickens. Within the feather-footed varieties, there are distillery options that will make a engender better suited for you ascribable to climate, desire for eggs or kernel, or if you desire dual-purpose birds. tied if these chickens will merely be pets or yard ornaments, you want to select a breed that will be good suited for the conditions in which they will be raised. Read More:

A Few Helpful Terms

When preparing to purchase chickens, it ’ second helpful to know the terminology for poultry so you can “ talk chicken ”.

• Hen – a mature female
• Pullet – an immature female
• Rooster – a mature male
• Cockerel – an immature male
• Chick – a baby (can be either sex)
• Dual-purpose – good for eggs and meat
• Broody – will be willing to incubate and hatch eggs
• Non-setting – will not be willing to hatch eggs

Other Considerations

When considering which breed of feather-footed chicken you would like to raise, here are a few points to ponder.

• Do I want to collect eggs?
• What color eggs do I want?
• Do I want a dual-purpose breed?
• Do I plan on hatching eggs?
• Will I be showing or exhibiting these birds?
• Do I want friendly chickens?

Tips on Buying Your Chickens

You can purchase chicks from a prey store, hatcheries, or even online. You can besides purchase fertile eggs and hatch them yourself. Know that if you get “ day old ” chicks, or hatch them yourself, you will have a mix of hens and roosters. Some towns have rules on keeping chickens in your backyard and don ’ thyroxine allow roosters. If you only want hens, you need to buy them when they are old enough to identify the sex. If you plan on hatching eggs or showing your birds, you want to track down a farmer that raises a inheritance breed. Often the chicks you buy at a feed storehouse or on-line have been commercially bred. commercial farmers much overbreed the chickens which reduces their natural instincts. To get good quality specimens of your engender, buy chicks from a reputable breeder, such as Cackle Hatchery. These chickens will besides tend to be friendlier and less skittish. Certain breeds are known for being more friendly and people-oriented. You can find a breed directory which can help you find a breeder in your area through the Livestock Conservancy web site .

8 Breeds of Chickens with Feathered Feet

There are eight different breeds of chickens with feathers on their feet that are recognized by the feather-legged chickens are recognized by the American Poultry Association. They are separate of a group called the Feather Leg Class. If you are a sports fan of bellbottoms, you will love this feather footed chicken video recording from YouTube .

1. Belgian d’Uccle (Mille Fleur)

The translation given to this belgian breed of chickens is mille fleur, meaning a thousand flowers. The D ’ Uccle name came from the US because these chickens have small beards. They are true bantams and come in many coloring material variations. Their legs are heavily feathered making them appear to be wearing boots. They are easy keepers and great for novice chicken raisers .

Pros:

• Very easy to manage 
• Do well in a small coop with a screened-in run
• Are attractive and come in many colors
• Lay tiny cream-colored eggs
• Make great mothers
• Friendly dispositions and good temperaments
• Make excellent pets

Cons:

• Not good in cold climates
• Fly well so need enclosed runs
• Eggs are quite small
• Bodies are small so they can only hatch a few eggs at a time

2. Booted Bantam

Known as the Supermodel Breed, Booted Bantams are bantam and classy. This is a dutch chicken breed named for the extravagant feather on the feet and hocks. It is a true bantam and not a breed derived from a standard-sized chicken. This is about entirely exhibition wimp but they are besides kept as pets. They lay a adequate total of small eggs .

Pros:

• Appear in 20 color varieties
• Friendly and calm
• Good egg producers for bantams
• Brood easily and make great moms
• Get along well with other chickens
• Suitable for children

Cons:

• Not fans of severe cold
• Need to be cleaned and maintained
• Should have protected coops and soft bedding

3. Brahma

The Brahma breed of chickens is one of the more celebrated feather-footed chickens. Their breed was in the first place developed for meat and for minimal alimony. They are besides well for laying eggs so they are named as a dual-purpose breed. here are some of the attributes of the Brahma :

Pros:

• Consistent layers
• Lay all winter
• Roosters are great as meat birds
• Friendly personalities, even the roosters
• They come in bantam size
• Gorgeous feathering and they come in 3 color varieties
• Do well in confinement
• Cold hardy

Cons:

• Don’t brood easily
• Roosters are not great for protecting the hens
• Prone to muddy feat feathers
• Do best in cool climates

4. Cochin

The Cochin is a large breed. It originated in China and its popularity dispersed to Europe and America. It ’ s not a engender you will find at a commercial domestic fowl farm but they are identical popular for backyard wimp keepers. here are some of the Cochin attributes :

Pros

• Large and beautiful birds with an abundance of fancy feathers
• Come in standard size or bantam
• Available in an array of different color variations
• Easy to handle and great for families with children
• Make great mothers because they love hatching and raising chicks
• Cold hardy
• Happy to be confined
• Not good flyers so they are easy keepers

Cons:

• Not the best breed for egg-laying
• Feathers will get muddy in wet weather
• Overheat in the summer if not properly cared for

5. Faverolle

This french feathery feet phenom was developed in the nineteenth hundred. They come in both large and bantam sizes and are considered a dual-purpose breed. They are well layers of brown to pinkish eggs. They come in several varieties but the pink-orange and white colors are the most common in the US. They are not a democratic as early breeds so you may have to search to find them .

Pros:

• Do well in confinement or free-range
• Standard size is a good dual-purpose 
• Great layers even in winter
• Lay eggs with a pinkish tint
• Mature early
• Brood easily and make excellent mothers
• Bred for quality meat
• Very active but gentle and make great pets

Cons:

• Due to heavy feathering, they are prone to external parasites
• Make take a few generations of breeding to refine the desired color

6. Langshan

besides known as the Croad Langshan, this heavy and soft breed is rumored to have begun in China. The roosters can top out at 10 pounds. They are specifically bred to be good layers and will lay through the winter They do well in cold conditions but do not well when exposed to extreme upwind. They are a docile breed that thrives under conditions where they are continue dry and clean.

Pros:

• Docile birds that are easily tamed
• Great layers and will lay in winter
• Adapt to confinement or free-range
• Excellent sitters and mothers
• Cold hardy
• Come in three colors, white, black, and blue
• Large birds with beautiful feathering

Cons:

• Don’t do well exposed to the elements
• Need to be kept in dry soil conditions

7. Silkie

This engender is named for its delightfully downy feather that feels like a thwart between satin and silk. They have the appearance of dandelion just before it loses its seeds to the scent. They are besides alone in that they have black skin and bones and bluing earlobes. Silkies are frequently used for poultry shows and exhibitions. They have friendly temperaments and are one of the most docile breeds of chickens. They are great for children and pets. They lay about 3 small eggs a week but are known for being brooding and flush hatching other bird ’ randomness eggs.

Pros:

• One of the most popular breeds of ornamental chickens
• Commonly used to incubate other bird’s eggs
• Come in two varieties, bearded and non-bearded
• Great for confinement as they can’t fly
• Make very good mothers
• Come in a variety of colors

Cons

• Only come in bantam size
• Tend to get eaten by predators if left to free-range
• Not good egg layers
• Can be bullied by more aggressive breeds

8. Sultan

Sultans belong to the crested chicken group and originated in Turkey. They have been primarily an ornamental breed and were bred to keep in the sultans ’ gardens during the Ottoman empire. These birds have very cosmetic feather. They are the smallest chickens in the large breed class. They lay little eggs and are not good layers .

Pros:

• Very docile and friendly
• Bred for doing well in confinement
• Do not tend to go broody
• Impressive plumage includes crests, beards, long tails, dense foot feathering
• Come in 3 varieties, black, blue, and white
• Lay small, white eggs

Cons:

• Main purpose is as an ornamental breed
• Not good layers
• Need special care to protect their feathering

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