Here are the 9 chicken breeds with feathers on feet:
1. Belgian D’Uccle
2. Booted Bantam
3. Brahma
4. Cochin
5. Faverolles
6. Langshan
7. Silkie
8. Sultan
9. French Marans
These captivating wimp breeds will be late discussed as we go along with the article. Keep on reading !
Why Do Some Chickens Have Feet Feathers?
scientifically speaking, chickens that have feathers on their feet have a genic trait called “ ptilopody. ” This can be characterized either by partial or fully development of feathers on the chicken ’ s shank. Earlier studies reveal that this phenomenon is caused not by one, but by two independent dominant alleles, which are denoted Pti-1 and Pti-2.
Advantages of Chickens With Feathers on Feet
many people thought that the only advantage of feather-legged chickens is the extra attraction. But actually, there is another advantage. Chickens with feather legs are less prone to frostbite. As you credibly know, frostbite is a skin injury caused by freezing or prolong exposure to cold. And yes, frostbite can cause hard pain .
Unlike us humans, chickens can not wear thick jackets, gloves, and boots during winter. They entirely rely on their feathers to protect their skin from frostbite. Although all chickens can have frostbite, those with unfeathered feet and have larger combs and wattles are more vulnerable to frostbite. Feathered feet besides help chickens feel warm during winter .
Disadvantages of Chickens With Feathers on Feet
The main disadvantage of chickens with feathery feet is they can easily get wet. You see, chickens hate getting wet because it makes them feel cold. gratuitous to say, they well get pale when they are cold. This is why brooders and coops need artificial heat. This is besides why chickens dust bath rather of taking a bathe using urine as ducks do .
digression from getting wet, feathered feet are besides prone to dirt and mud. The problem with muddy feet is that chickens bring the mud inside the chicken coop and, most of the time, in the cuddle box. Although egg getting dirty is not truly an write out, nincompoop can get stuck on wet feet. The crap may be carrying some diseases that could spread to your entire flock .
Chickens with feather legs are besides more susceptible to scaly leg mites. scientifically called “ Cnemidocoptes Mutans, ” scaly leg mites are external parasites that reside underneath the scales of the legs and feet of chickens. These microscopic pests dig bantam holes on the feet and eat the weave, which causes meaning discomfort to their victims .
last, chickens with heavily feathered legs are prone to pecking by chickens with unfeathered legs. This normally happens once you introduce new chickens to your flock. During this prison term, chickens will have to establish a new peck orderliness. aggressive chickens tend to attack the smaller ones, specially if those with thick and heavy feathers .
How to Care For Chickens With Feathered Feet?
Chickens with feathers on feet need extra care. To start with, make indisputable that their feet and legs are always cleanse and dry. If ineluctable, you should immediately dry them. You may besides want to replace chicken coop bedding regularly. To avoid excessive smack and minimize bullying, separate them from the chickens that have no feathers on their feet .
How to Treat Chickens With Scaly Leg Mites?
Scaly leg mites are invisible to the bare eye, so you will find it unvoiced to see them. however, you will notice that your chicken ’ second feet start to thicken and will have a approximate appearance. This is a huge indication of the presence of scaly leg mites. Infected chickens may besides start to find difficulties in standing, walking, and perching on roosting bars .
First of all, never use alcohol, kerosene, or any toxic chemical in treating chickens with scaly leg mites. alternatively, soak the septic part to warm body of water with soap, then dry them thoroughly. Using an erstwhile, clean soup-strainer, you may besides gently scrub the wound with petroleum jelly or garlic juice. Repeat this method acting regularly until the wound is clear .
Chicken Breeds With Feathered Feet
As of mail, there are eight unlike chicken breeds with fledge feet that are recognized by the American Poultry Association ( APA ) and American Bantam Association ( ABA ). These chickens belong to a group called “ the Feather Leg Class. ” Nevertheless, other feathered-legged chicken breeds fall into another class .
1. Belgian D’Uccle
The belgian D ’ Uccle, pronounced as “ dew-clay, ” is a chicken breed that originated in Uccle, a modest township in cardinal Belgium. These chickens are true bantams and have no standard-size counterparts. They have muff and beards, and their legs are heavily covered with feathers. They have four toes, but lone the outer toe has feathers .
belgian D ’ Uccle comes in 28 color varieties, and their feathers are sol adorable, making them one of the best ornamental birds in the world. But because of their modest size, their hens can only lay about 100 cream-colored eggs a year, which equates to lone 2 eggs a workweek. There is no official record about its population, but it is considered “ critical ” as of 2020 .
2. Booted Bantam
Booted Bantams are basically the like as the belgian D ’ Uccle, except that they have no beard and are a sting bigger. Their roosters weigh about 850 grams, while their hens normally weigh 750 grams alone. besides known as “ Dutch Booted Bantam, ” this European wimp breed comes in 20 coloring material varieties, and the most coarse color is millefleur .
Booted Bantam hens lay only about 120-150 white eggs a year, and as expected, the egg size is extra small. They normally start to lay eggs once they are about 18-22 weeks old. Booted Bantams are excessively little to be kernel birds. however, this very rare chicken breed is by and large calm, friendly, and makes a capital pet even if you have little children .
3. Brahma
The Brahma wimp breed has no official records about its history. however, many people believe that it is a descendant of Shanghai chickens. Brahma chickens are very big at 12 pounds ( 5.5 kilogram ) for males and 10 pounds ( 4.5 kilogram ) for females. They can stand up to 30 inches grandiloquent and are about vitamin a boastful as their closest rival, the Jersey Giants.
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Hens lay about 150-180 brown eggs a year, which is equivalent to 3-4 eggs a week. Brahma chickens have thick feathers which extend down to their feet, particularly to their middle toe. These elegant birds are by and large friendly, docile, and quiet. Despite their intimidate appearance, they are not aggressive to smaller chicken breeds .
4. Cochin
originally called “ Cochins-China, ” the Cochin wimp engender originates in Shanghai, China, erstwhile in 1840. In 1850, Americans and british breeders began to be obsessed with raising chickens as dual-purpose birds. This was known as “ hen fever, ” and Cochins, along with the Brahmas were among their favorites because of their sizes .
due to their blockheaded and downy feathers, Cochins are described as “ head-to-toe ” feathered birds. They are available in many color varieties, including brown gold laced, silver laced, black, gloomy, fan, cuckoo, partridge, and whiten. Except for the cuckoo, all of them are recognized by the APA. meanwhile, they lay about 150-180 light up brown eggs a year .
5. Faverolles
The Faverolles chicken breed originates in Faverolles, a small village in France. note that the letter ‘ south ’ is silent in french and used to spell in both remarkable and plural forms. This french chicken breed was primitively bred as dual-purpose birds. But because of their elegant feathers, Faverolles is now considered an exhibition dame .
french Faverolles comes in many color varieties, but merely salmon and white are widely accepted in the US. They are besides highly docile and friendly, which makes them a well target of bullying by aggressive breeds. however, hens lay about 150-200 medium-sized, light brown eggs a year, which equates to 3-4 eggs a week .
6. Langshan
The Langshan is the third base feathered legged chicken breed that originated in China. There are four types of Langshan chickens – the Croad Langshan ( original and most common and was used for the development of Jersey Giants ), the german Langshan ( no feathers on legs and feet ), the shorter-legged translation, and the Modern Langshan .
broadly speaking, Croad Langshans have fewer feathers on feet as compared to the Brahmas and the Cochins. Langshan hens lay about 150-200 embrown eggs a year or 3-4 eggs a week. As of post, the american Livestock Conservancy considers Langshan under “ lookout, ” which means it has an estimated global population of less than 10,000 .
7. Silkie
The Silkie chicken breed has no official record about its history except that it originated from ancient China. The general appearance of the Silkies is wholly alone in that its stallion body is covered with satiny, downy feathers down to its legs and feet. They come in 8 color varieties – blacken, blue, buff, grey, lavender, partridge, splash, and white .
Silkie hens lay alone about 120 little to medium-sized cream eggs a class. They tend to go brood hen and are known as excellent mothers. This downy, one-of-a-kind chicken breed is very docile, friendly, and suitable for families with small children. In general, Silkies are great foragers but can besides do well in restriction and are relatively quiet birds .
8. Sultan
The Sultan chicken breed originated in Turkey and is considered extraordinary due to its large peak of feathers on its promontory. In fact, their total appearance and feather are so singular, from lead to toe. rather of the usual four, they have five toes, and all of them are covered with thick feathers, making them a very elegant cosmetic chicken breed .
Given their modest size and attention-getting looks, Sultan hens only lay up to 50 white eggs a year. This is equivalent to lone 1 egg a workweek. away from getting besotted and dirty feet, their eyes are normally covered with feathers. This means they don ’ metric ton see if a marauder or an aggressive chicken will attack them. These are the reasons why they need extra care .
9. French Marans
As the mention implies, french Marans originated in France. Just like the Faverolles, the letter ‘ s ’ in Marans is dumb and is used in spelling both in singular and plural forms. The Marans is sol singular that their hens lay iniquity chocolate brown eggs. They lay about 150-200 extra-large eggs a class. Interestingly, their eggs are a piece slurred than ordinary eggs .
For the criminal record, there is a tune of Marans chickens that have no feathers on their legs and feet. This strain is the english Marans, which became unpopular when the APA decided to recognize the french variety. besides, the APA categorized the french Marans as continental birds and not “ feathered-legged, ” despite having feathers on their legs .
Summary
As you can see, chickens with feather feet come with a price. In some cases, you might think that trimming feathers is a good choice. First of all, these chickens are biologically designed to have feathers on their feet. These feathers are besides helpful to them. so alternatively of trimming them, why not raise chickens without feet feathers ?
Related: 12 Chicken Breeds That Lay Brown Eggs
List of Sources
Parallel Genetic Origin of Foot Feathering in Birds
Keep Your Chickens Healthy and Producing During Winter Months
common Diseases in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks in Great Britain ( Excluding Gamebirds )
Fresno County 4-H, Poultry Study Guide ( Supplemental )
