Feathered Feet or not?

[chickenenthusiasts5698]

View attachment 1996904Rooster with feathered feet he’s a Copper Marans
I have a bunch of Buff Orpington X Copper Marans and and they mostly have feathered feet. I was gonna start a project with the two breeds, just for fun, to get big,fluffy chickens with feathered feet and to be a nice,pretty,dual purpose bird. I have two hens left over from the first cross and 3 from the first cross back to the roo.(my only Buff orpington hen was taken by an owl
Any thoughts on this?

I’ve always wondered how that cross would turn out! Marans and Orpingtons are 2 of my favorite breeds!

 

[TwoCrows]

View attachment 1996904Rooster with feathered feet he’s a Copper Marans
I have a bunch of Buff Orpington X Copper Marans and and they mostly have feathered feet. I was gonna start a project with the two breeds, just for fun, to get big,fluffy chickens with feathered feet and to be a nice,pretty,dual purpose bird. I have two hens left over from the first cross and 3 from the first cross back to the roo.(my only Buff orpington hen was taken by an owl
Any thoughts on this?

Beautiful Rooster!

 

[Mamas_Looney_Farm]

thanks!!

Beautiful Rooster!

This is what the crosses look like 1st generation and 2nd
Not the black hen but the smaller ones and one amerucauna mix.

1st cross they are pretty fluffy and big hens with yellow feathers on their feet and pretty docile

 

[ChickNanny13]

While feathered feet are cute they can pose a couple issues.
The feathers can prevent the birds from scratching as much as clean legged birds do. That can lead to overgrown nails.
The mud can cling to the feathers being matted in a rock hard mud brick.
The feathers can hide leg mites infestations and make those infestations harder to treat.
The feathers can break leading to heavy bleeding....especially during a molt.
There are ingrown feather issues that can occur.
When it is wet and cold the feathers can become waterlogged and freeze....leading to frostbite.

All that said I keep several feather footed birds in my flocks.
Those things should not stop someone from owning feather footed breeds.
Just things to be aware of and prepared for.

2x @21hens-incharge ... I think they're cute but not for me for all the reasons above. It rains alot here although doesn't freeze I prefer less maintenance ... Just me.

 

[Mamas_Looney_Farm]

The youngest don’t lay yet almost at the POL but the two older ones lay creamy color light brown large eggs and I’m betting the younger ones will lay darker eggs. I just wish a had a roo outta one of them to keep going one breeding the next generations. If anyone has a pure Buff Orpington roo at breeding age they wanna get rid of in Texas contact me please. Or hens or even sr chicks.

 

[Trevorusn]

I would suggest faverolles for a feather footed breed. I have two salmon faverolle pullets and a cockerel, the pullets are very human friendly and the cockerel is the best I’ve had so far, a complete sweetheart!

Yes they are!! My roo is the most civilized gent I ever met! And the ladies are VERY vocal.

 

[Ebony Rose]

My current bantam cockerel, 'Fancy Pants', has feathered feet; he's the first feather-footed chicken that I've ever had. So far, I haven't seen any drawbacks, but might regret falling in love with him once our eight-month rainy season starts up again in late April, as my flock roosts on my fully enclosed, back patio. I may just add another couple of inches of deep litter back there to soak up the muddy moisture that he's sure to drag in with him after a day of bugging in his nearly half-acre yard. His (full blooded) sisters did not inherit the feather-footed gene, and both of his parents had bare feet.

 

[Trevorusn]

I have noticed my Faverolles have "claws" that grow and stay long compared to my clean legged birds. Very odd, and their quick is rather long too, is that just for Faverolles or are all feather legged birds similar??

 

[Ebony Rose]

I have noticed my Faverolles have "claws" that grow and stay long compared to my clean legged birds. Very odd, and their quick is rather long too, is that just for Faverolles or are all feather legged birds similar??

Gimme a sec, I'll go check on my bantam cockerel, Fancy Pants' toes and see if they seem unusually long or not. His toes are long and slender and his toenails are between 1/3 and 1/2 inch long. Yes, that seems rather long to me.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Maybe it's because the have the feathered feet, to reach out past the feathering