Feather footed Maran keeps breaking foot feathers!!!

[Faife6]

I bought two juvenile white Marans this summer. A male and a female. I wanted them for their dark brown eggs and hopefully my first batch of chicks, but I didn't really take their feathered legs and feet into consideration and all the trouble it would bring. I was so excited to find them in my area since I only needed two and most hatcheries won't ship two chicks!!!!

The female has been doing just fine, not a single broken feather. The rooster however is constantly breaking them off causing bleeding and sometimes rather sore looking areas on his feet! I've doctored and cleaned and pulled broken feathers almost continually it seems! I've added TONS of bedding to help impact, but he still seems to be hurting himself somehow while the female with the same feathered feet is doing just fine! Not even so much as a scratch!

No other chickens seem to pay him any mind either, so I'm pretty confident he's not being bullied...is there anything else I can do to help him short of pulling all of his foot feathers? He is seriously the sweetest little Roo on the planet and I hate to see him looking so bad! I even thought about knitting some chicken leggings or something lol! What did I get myself into? How can I keep this from happening?

 

[Eggcessive]

I see that you have no responses so far about this. I'm hoping someone will be able to help you. Here is a link to read while you are waiting for help: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...al-aid-to-molting-pin-feathers-blood-feathers
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/250787/broken-feather-with-blood-on-feathered-foot-hurts
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/872930/blood-on-feather-looks-like-broken-vein

 

[Odelia]

I am sorry I can't help you. I have a Marans rooster and I haven't had any issues with his feathered feet. I also have a couple of bantam cochins and have not had any issues with their feathered feet either. Is he breaking them when he is breeding?

 

[Faife6]

Thank you both so much for your responses! It seems no one else is having this problem. I haven't seen him try to breed so I thought he might still be too young. I guess that is a possibility, but the wounds are usually on the outer side of his feet. They look like he's just snapping off feathers left and right. While my other maran is just fine. Is there any other way to prevent this that I might be missing?

 

[Eggcessive]

There was a thread on here last year by a woman having a similar experience. She was quite well informed about chickens, but never seemed to find an answer. You might do a search at the top of the page to find the thread. I'm tied up this morning, but I will look for it, too.

 

[nicole28557]

My maran seems to have this problem currently. I'm not sure if she's doing it to herself. She's the oldest of a mixed flock, no roosters. We just had a tropical storm through last night, I let them out of the coop this morning and they were fine. I noticed her with one other pullet next to the house with her bloody foot, and worried something got the other 4. They were across the yard, thankfully, but that made me think something was after them.
Or they could just be acting like chickens... I hope the pic uploaded