Grooming feather footed chickens

[king2]

Does anyone know how I can groom my chicken's feathers on his feet? They look really bad and I am not sure how to help. I heard that I would have to just pluck them out and let new ones grow back in, but I wanted to be sure.

 

[silkiechicken]

Well, how are they bad? Like broken and dirty? If they are dirty you can look into giving their feet a bath. If they are broken, I say just wait till next moult as pulling out lots of feathers would hurt and leave holes in their legs, and if they are pin feathers, will bleed.

Only way to keep them "pretty" is to make sure they have lots of clean bedding to walk on... all the time.

 

[bigzio]

Yep the clean enviornment is the key to nice looking leg feathers. Feathers will never replace themselves until a molt, and that could be months before it happens and a couple months til it's complete.
Once your flock does molt, the new pretty plumage is worth waiting for. Everything you do for the flock they apppreciate, even though they can't tell you.

bigzio

 

[king2]

The feathers are both dirty and broken, but I just got them from a friend and I am not sure what kind of pen he had them in, but I have them in a pen with cedar shavings on the bottom. I guess we will see what happens. Thanks for all of your help

 

[Wildsky]

Perhaps you could trim them a little bit, get the dirty or bad bits off, might make it look nicer till the next moult.

They shouldn't have been on Cedar - that is toxic to chickens.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, cedar in the pen is bad for chickens and many small animals. Use pine, and if you want, a hand full of cedar in some spots to control parasites.

 

[bantymum]

I have silkies with feathery legs as they do!!
I have purchased some in the past who would arrive looking disgusting and smelling awful too.
A warm bath on the legs and if you have an old toothbrush you can comb the leg and feet feathers with it.
After it rains a few times they will wash up nicely, yes take out the cedar and have pine shavings in there.
good luck