Can Anyone Explain THIS???? (mismatched feet)

[suzettex5]

I have quite a few hatchery chicks (belt hatchery) I ordered silkies, and frizzles- They are turning out just fine, just as expected for hatchery chicks, but heres a weird one- I have a chick that has one foot with silkie toes and one foot without silkie toes!! How weird is that? What kind of bizzare cross could result in a chick being literally half silkie and half something else?? (other than the obvious ' its a cross which equals half one thing half another'

)
Anyone else seen this? The chick is healthy and cute otherwise, no type of disfigurements or anything, just the weird mismatched feet. I am really curious as to what genetics can cause this or if it happens often to silkies. Is it still even considered a silkie? Maybe its a frizzle silkie cross, it has weird feathers...?

If I get any responses, I will add pictures tommorow- Thanks all

 

[silkiechicken]

Silkies can have 5 and 5, 4 and 4, 5 and 6, 5.5 and 4.... sometimes that extra toe doesn't get there, and sometimes they have a few more. They aren't always symmetrical.

 

[suzettex5]

Oh, I thought one of the requirements for a silkie to be a silkie, was that it had extra toes! So, it can have different numbers of toes on each foot, and still be a 'pure' silkie? Not for showing or anything, I just thought it was a defining characteristic.

 

[indianporfavor]

never knew there were extra toes involved with silkies, I literally learn something new here everyday.
Not that i can help you, but i wouldnt mind seeing pictures of your mismatched chicken feet

 

[suzettex5]

YAY!! Thanks Indianporfavor, now I have an excuse to take more pics of my chicks and post'em!! I will be heading out in the am to snap a few!

And your not the only one who learns something new here everyday, this site is absolutley amazing and I shamelessly promote it to everyone I know- even people who I KNOW will never have chickens and who think I'm crazy for having mine! I would be seriously LOST without BYC!

 

[fancbrd4me02]

One of my silkies has 6 toes

 

[Ariel301]

The standard for silkies calls for 5 toes on each foot. More or less toes on one or both feet will most likely disqualify a bird at a show, which is why a breeder wouldn't breed birds like those...but, defects happen of course, not every animal fits its breed standard perfectly. Being from a hatchery, it is possible it is not purebred, and most likely that it was bred from less than show quality parent birds. That doesn't mean it's no good to you as a pet and laying bird though, of course.

 

[Want Less]

Quote:
I didnt know that either... I wonder why they have extra toes?