Extra toe

[berlyannpotter]

Got a new chick. Just noticed this. Why does she have it?

 

[sourland]

Sometimes it just happens. The chick may also have some silkie DNA.

 

[nuthatched]

What breed?

 

[berlyannpotter]

What breed?

Ayam Cemani

 

[nuthatched]

Ayam Cemani

It could be it's part silkie or it's pretty imbred, that happens with import breeds.

 

[K0k0shka]

People have chosen to keep many mutations and defects in breeds for some odd reason, and keep breeding for them - like extra toes, misshapen feathers, holes in the skull, etc. all because they think it "looks cool", without a thought for what that means for the bird itself and its quality of life. It's the same for other animals as well - cats and dogs with crooked short legs or flat faces that make it hard to breathe. They get the mutations because they tend to be horribly inbred, and then people choose to keep breeding for that mutation intentionally, and make it part of the breed description. People are cruel and selfish beings.

Your chicken has extra toes either because it was inbred, too, or because it has some extra-toed breed in its lineage, like silkie. Sometimes the extra toes pose problems, sometimes not. Chickens weren't meant to have that many toes. I am ethically against propagating defects in animals, so I would not own any breeds (of any animal) where that line has been crossed, just as a matter of principle. But that's just my decision.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The Ayam Cemani had not been recognized by the American Poultry Association but the latest revision of the application for acceptance calls for four toes. If you are breeding for show, that extra toe on that one foot matters. If you are breeding to a certain SOP that calls for four toes, that extra toe matters. If you are not going to be breeding it or it is just a pet, the extra toe should not matter. It is possible it could cause it problems getting around but I consider that chance highly unlikely.

While it is sexy to think you have a mutation, the most likely explanation is that somewhere in the genetic background it has a five toed ancestor. Having 5 toes on one foot and 4 on the other is pretty common in mixes.