While more feathers seems to indicate that feather chickens would be better able to stay warm in the winter, feathered legs can cause problems in cold besotted conditions. The feathers get wet and can potentially freeze, causing worse problems such as frostbite. So before buying fledge footed chickens, be certain you can provide lots of clean space for them during moisture conditions. In addition, be certain you are keeping them safe- read about how to snake proof your chicken coop and reduce the number of snakes on your property ! “ I am an amazon consort, meaning I earn commission when you purchase something through a link on this page. I do appreciate you coming to my page and I only offer suggestions to items that are both cost effective and of full quality. Often, my recommendation is from personal consumption. Thanks again. ” Without far adieu, here are some downy feather footed chickens for you to consider for your own cage !
1- Cochins
Silver Laced Cochin Hens
Characteristics
Cochins are considered one of the easy giants of chicken breeds. They are extremely democratic among chicken owners and have been since the 1800 ’ south. traditionally they are bred as kernel chickens, but they make great pets or backyard layers arsenic well. The roosters are often raised for capon, which is a male chicken ( cock ) which has been castrated and raised for kernel .
For diet, the Cochins are easy to feed because they are indiscriminate in their diet. This is by and large an advantage because it allows them to survive when early chicken breeds would not, but it can besides cause health issues. They are predisposed to becoming fleshy, which can impede egg production .
Size & Colors
THe Cochin is a bombastic breed of chicken, with a batch of feathers. The extra feathers make them appear even fluffier than they are, and come in the stick to color patterns Buff, Partridge, White, Black, Silver Laced, Golden Laced, Blue, Brown, and Barred.
market burden for a Cochin is 7-9lbs, but when amply grown at around 16 months, it will weigh about 12lbs. The Cochin looks identical attractive with its larger size and abundant feather .
Temperament
Cochins are considered very docile with a calm disposition, which contributed to their extreme popularity among backyard chicken owners when they were first introduced into the United States from China .
The Cochin hens are bang-up brood hen hens and can frequently hatch more than one batch of chicks each year .
Egg Production & Color
Cochin chickens lay big brown university eggs. They were never fecund enough to become commercial layers. however, their cold robustness makes them a big choice for cold climates, as they can provide both eggs and kernel throughout the majority of winter .
As they are not finical eaters, they are good layers unless they become excessively fatness, which can cause liver damage in the Cochin. Be mindful of that as they senesce .
reference book : Cochin Chicken – The Livestock Conservancy
2- Booted Bantams
Booted Bantam
Characteristics
The Booted Bantam is an ornamental chicken, which means this breed is not raised for meat or egg production, quite it is a engender which is valued strictly for a specific unique characteristic. In the case of the boot bantam, the singular feature is its cover girl feather .
The Booted Bantam can trace its lineage as far back as the 1600 ’ sulfur ( possibly ) or the 1800 ’ second. Either way, the Bantam is a hybridization between a Javain chicken ( from the indonesian county of Java ), and a breed park in the Netherlands. Another source states the Booted Bantam was developed between Germany, Netherlands and Great Britain. regardless, this combination led to the assume so far small breed of Booted Bantam we know and love nowadays .
Size & Color
The Booted Bantam has a pack soundbox with long wings, and are frequently described as show-offs, seeming to know they look good. They have a single comb and more than twenty dollar bill plumages. The most common color variations are as follows : Barred, Black, Blue, Buff, Cuckoo, Columbia, Gray, Golden Neck, Mille Fleur, Lemon Mille Fleur, Silver Mille Fleur Mottled, Partridge, Lavender, Porcelain, Blue, and White.
The Booted Bantam has a big summit with a full and upright tail. The large and long wings should be carried high. average weights for the cock is 1lb 0oz, while the average slant for the hens is 1lb 6oz .
Temperament
Booted Bantams are described as friendly and easily to handle. The hens make good mothers and are brooding a couple times out of the class. Booted Bantams are capital pets as they seem to have lots of personality and are entertaining to watch. In addition, they do well in restriction, but will forage for bugs and seeds in the garden if they are permitted to do indeed. due to their little size, they are broadly estimable garden clean up assistants because they do not seem to damage the plants and dirty vitamin a much as larger breeds .
Egg Production & Color
The Booted Bantam are average layers with small tinted eggs. They lay around 150-180 eggs per year, which would average out to an egg every early day .
3- Belgian d’Uccle (Mille Fleur)
Mille Fleur Chicken or “Thousand Flowers”
Characteristics
The Mille Fleur chickens are a true bantam, meaning they have no larger counterpart. They are a variation on the belgian five hundred ’ Uccle bantam, and are both beard and feather footed down to the feathers on their outside toes. They are an affectionate engender and very strike to look at. They are most often kept as pets preferably than meat wimp or testis layers as they are very little in size .
Size & Color
The Mille Fleur wimp has a patterned plumage, each marked with a black crescent-moon. The roosters will weigh around 26oz, while the hens will weigh 22oz. The Mille Fleur is a variation on the belgian vitamin d ’ Uccle, which has respective color variations .
The Mille Fleur is frequently called the Thousand Flower Chicken, from its intricate coloration patterns .
Temperament
The Mille Fleur are beautiful birds with bang-up personalities. They are very friendly and even bigmouthed. They can be used as brooding hens adenine well, but not all of the hens will go brood hen .
Egg Production & Color
The Mille Fleur is a honest level, putting out between 150-200 eggs which are either white or tinted. In spring, they are late to the party, starting to lay recently but will continue to lay throughout winter .
4- Brahma
Brahma Hen and Rooster
Characteristics
The Brahma is a identical large chicken, but they are easy giants. They will make a big summation to any batch. They like to roam, but will tolerate confinement. A dim-witted wall will keep them in as they are very besides bombastic to fly .
Size & Color
The roosters will get around 10lbs and the hens around 8lbs. They are quite a big bird, which besides means they can not very fly well ascribable to their weight unit .
The Brahmas come in 3 different colors, which are dark, light, and buff. There are other colors of Brahma, but they have not been officially recognized .
Temperament
The Brahma is one of the most relax breeds of chicken you can own. They do well around most other breeds and as they are bombastic bodied, they tend to naturally rank higher in the pick at rate without having to fight for their touch .
In summation to their slack temperament, they seem to be rather adoring of little children, so they are the best wimp for families with unseasoned children .
Egg Production & Color
The Brahma hen will make you wait for her eggs, taking up to 7 months to come into production, but will gift you with 4 or then culture medium sized brown eggs each and every workweek. They will not lay well in the heat of summer, but are dependable layers for the long winter months. This makes yet another reason to add one of these ennoble giants to your flock .
5- Croad Langshan
Croad Langshan Hens
Characteristics
The Croad Langshan is another large bird that gained realization in the states around the same time as the Cochin. however, they are now an endangered and rare breed, and are normally referred to as just langshans in the United States. They are a double function bird, as they are capital kernel birds and big layers .
Size & Color
These are metier to big size birds, where roosters weigh 9 or more pounds, with hens weighing 7 pounds or more. The Croad Langshan has 3 recognized colors : blue, black, or white feather. They can hatch in other colors, but the alone 3 officially recognized colors are blue, black and white .
Temperament
The Croad Langshan has a very docile nature, and in fact you may need to keep an eye on them, as they can frequently become the target of more aggressive chickens .
They are very curious birds, and make capital foragers, but can adapt to confinement ampere well. Turn them easy, safely, and watch equitable how fun they can be .
Egg Production & Color
The eggs are brown to purple-brown in color. The purple brown eggs are frequently described as plumb colored. The eggs are large and you can expect the Croad Langshan to provide you with eggs throughout the year, averaging 150-200 eggs per year .
6- Silkie
Silkie Hen
Characteristics
The silkie chicken is one of my absolute favorites to look at. They look barely like a giant ball of fluff, and have great little personalities to boot. They make great mothers and have a historic nature. They are rumored to go back to the Han Dynasty, potentially as far back as 200 ( ish ) BC .
Fun fact about silkie chickens, they have 5 toes on each foot, and the out two toes are feathered. Read all about Silkie Roosters here.
Size & Color
The silkie breed weighs in at around 4lbs for the males, and 3lbs for the females. The Silkie bantam should weigh around 21oz as males, and 18oz for females .
The bear colors are aristocratic, black, splash, whie, grey, buff, and ruffed grouse. As with most all breeds, they will hatch in different colors but they are not accepted in the APA .
Temperament
Silkies have a very docile temperament and are not aggressive at all. That is why they are favorites for many chicken lovers out there. They are capital around other chickens and kids vitamin a well .
As they are very docile, be certain to pair them with other non-aggressive breeds. The more assertive chicken breeds will find the silkie an easy target, and she will become the object of all your chicken bullies. Silkies will pair well with Cochins .
The Silkie is even then docile you can carry it around without all the bicker and flap you would normally expect. Their quiet disposition and calm air demeanor mean you need to have excellent marauder protections in place. They are therefore domestic that silkies are comfortable prey for a crafty fox or raccoon .
Egg Production & Color
While they have many, many early fantastic characteristics, their egg put abilities are not one of them. They lay little to medium size eggs 2-3 times a workweek. On the bright side, they do start to lay earlier in the year than most other breeds, normally picking up laying in January.
Silkie Chickens are not great meat chickens and are most often kept as pets.
7- Sultan
Sultan Rooster
Characteristics
The Sultan chicken has such an matter to history that I can not help but recount it for you briefly here before we dive in. originally from Turkey, the Sultan chicken is a rare breed indeed .
In Turkey the Sultan is known as Serai Taook. Serai in Turkish means Sultan ’ s Palace, and Taook is turkish for fowl, meaning the Serai Took translates to Sultans Fowl, or Fowl of the Sultan, which honestly, I find delightful .
Size & Color
The Sultan is on the small side for a chicken, normally 4-5 pounds. The entirely recognized color kind is white .
Temperament
The Sultan has a identical active disposition but is inactive tame and docile. They enjoy foraging for grains and insects, but not vegetables. They are not cold hardy but digest hotness well .
The Sultan is said to be a gentle forager than many early chicken breeds, so turn out into the yard or garden with cautious optimism. historically, they are rumored to leave the grass green where they left it, rather than patches of brown scandal .
Egg Production & Color
The Sultan chickens lay large flannel eggs, but are not bang-up layers, frequently only laying 1 egg per workweek. This amount to 50-60 eggs per year, meaning the Sultan is a great thousand decoration, but not the best layer. however, they can be eaten for kernel if needed .
The Sultan is besides featured in my article on other Small Chicken Breeds .
8- Faverolles
Faverolles Rooster (Salmon) Crowing
Characteristics
Faverolles are huge chickens which come in a large kind of colors. They make a bang-up addition to your flock, particularly ascribable to the fact that the roosters are particularly non-aggressive in comparison to many other breeds .
Size & Color
They are 7-8lbs in size, with 3 recognize varieties : flannel, salmon, and reddish brown, with salmon being the most normally found assortment .
The Faverolles tend to appear larger than they actually are, as they are identical downy and actually identical adorable. however, they are silent a big bird with ample kernel if you want to raise them for kernel chickens .
Temperament
Chicken lovers know that the Faverolle is one of the funniest birds in the chicken cage. Its big personality is rather adorable, while its calm and docile demeanor just make you choose a darling from the clock .
The Favorelle have even been known to form real bonds with their owners, so if you plan to spend time with them, don ’ metric ton be surprised at all if they become attached, and frailty versa .
ascribable to their gentle nature, this is another chicken that might find itself at the bottomland of the peck order. If mix breeds, be sure these ladies and gentlemen are kept with other docile chickens in order to avoid excessive browbeat .
Egg Production & Color
The Faverolles hens lay metier sized cream or light brown eggs. They are great winter layers and lay between more than 180 eggs a year ! They will make a great addition to most any productive chicken cage .
9- French Marans
French Maran (Blue Copper)
Characteristics
Known largely for their very benighted embrown eggs, the french maran has much to offer the backyard chicken cage. The dark color comes from the extra pigment the hen leaves on it as the egg is formed .
But if you want those insta-worthy pictures, be sure to take care, as the pigment can be scraped off easily .
Size & Color
The french Marans are feather footed, but the english Marans are not, so be certain to remember that when testis patronize. They are a medium sized chicken, with the males weighing a respectable 8lbs and the hens a little igniter at around 6.5 lbs. They can besides be bantam ( smaller ) and will then weigh about half as much .
The accept breed colors are Birchen, Wheaten, Colombian, Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, Black, White, Black Tailed Buff, and Black Copper Neck. As constantly, there are many more colors of French Maran out there, but these are the lone officially recognized colors .
Temperament
The french Marans will do good as free-range birds. They seem to need a more vary diet than early breeds in order to keep up their health and energy .
They get along well with early birds, and are reasonably docile, but not terribly friendly. They will likely not want to sit on your lap, but will tolerate your presence if you bring them food .
Egg Production & Color
well we already know the french marans lay brown eggs. In fact, these eggs are worldly concern fame for not lone very very dark brown color, but their excellent taste deoxyadenosine monophosphate well. It is said that the egg shells have smaller pores, which keep them fresher for longer, and will makes them less likely to contain bacteria or disease .
The french Marans will produce quite well, laying around 3-4 eggs per week. This averages to 16-200 eggs per year .
10- Pekin
Penkin Bantam (Grey)
Characteristics
Hailing from the Peking ( now Bejing ) in China, the Pekin chicken is a short, small dame much confused with the Cochin. The Pekin is a bantam breed, with no larger counterpart .
The Pekin is largely an ornamental shuttlecock, as it is known best for its beautiful feather and its characteristic cant. The Pekin chicken holds its tail higher than its head, and the look is rather clear-cut .
Size & Color
The Pekin males weigh around 24 oz, or about 1.5 pounds. The female Pekins are slightly smaller at around 20 oz, or 1.3 pounds on average .
The most common and in-demand colors for the breed are as follows : Black, Blue, Buff, Lavender, Mottled, Red Partridge, Silver Partridge, Partridge, Birchen, Barred, Wheaten, and White. There are more colors, but these are the most popular .
Temperament
The Pekin is of a docile nature, particularly if worry is taken early on on to provide adequate socialization and manage for them. T
Egg Production & Color
The Pekin is an cosmetic engender but will provide a few eggs each calendar month. however, normal egg production for the Pekin is 13-150 eggs per year .
11- Malaysian Serama
Malaysian Serama Hen and Rooster
Characteristics
The malaysian Serama is another cosmetic breed, and in fact it is the smallest chicken breed in the world according to Roy ’ s Chicken Farm. The Serama is a bantam breed and normally weighs less than 500 grams .
Like others on this list, this is a true bantam breed with no larger counterpart. It ’ s a relatively raw engender, only coming into being in the last 50 years .
My front-runner separate of this breed is the manner they stand ; they appear to always be standing guard !
technically, I am squeezing this 11th breed of chicken with feathers on their legs in- but the adults do not have feathers on their legs. Some of the chicks appear to have a eldritch strip of feathers down their legs as chicks, but that goes away when they mature. however, I love this breed and will use any reason to talk about them .
Size & Color
The Serama tends to stand up identical grandiloquent and upright with its wings about touching the labor. They have a loss tinge single comb, crimson wattles, and red earlobes. They stand with their legs far apart and have a mesomorphic short torso for such little chickens .
malaysian Serama can be found in any color, as they were never color selected upon their breeding in Malaysia .
Standard size in the USA is around 500 grams or less, but in Malaysia they can be fund weighing less than 250 grams. bantam !
Temperament
Despite their cutthroat some appearance, the malaysian Serama is a preferably placid and calm air wimp, making a dependable addition to your pet collection. They don ’ thyroxine take care being held, and have even been known to play with kids on juncture .
Be careful when letting the Serama rid range however, as their bantam size make them easy prey for aggressive pets such as cats or dogs, equally well as wild animals lurking nearby.
Egg Production & Color
The egg production of the malaysian Serama is very similar to most early bantam breeds. They will lay between February-November, averaging around 180 eggs per year .
If hatching eggs, the Serama egg is an excellent choice, as their eggs will hatch in only 19-20 days .
Thats it folks ! Those are all the chicken breeds I know of with feathers on their feet !
