I'm about to give up

[silkiechick05]

Is there any way to keep a silkies' foot feathers clean?

Their feet are rats' nests! Poo, dirt, shavings, you name it, they have it glued in there.

Also, what's a good method of cleaning the feathered foot??


Thanks!

 

[nzpouter]

a very well looked after manicured lawn..... or socks...

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I vote socks....the ones with toes

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

A soak in warm soapy water will loosen the rat's nest and allow you to gently remove clumps of mud, manure, broken feathers and shavings. Keeping them in clean deep shavings or sand that is cleaned frequently or on wire will help keep them in better condition, or in a tractor on grass that is regularly moved to keep it on fresh grass.

 

[Me & Jack]

It's aggravating, isn't it?!!! But whatever you do, don't try to pull those clumps off by hand. Even after soaking a few minutes I still find those cement-like gobs difficult to get off. However, a few months ago I oiled their feet and legs to treat a case of scaly leg mite, and apart from the greased feathers collect debris like a dust mop, those feet stayed clump-free for about two weeks!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

If you soften the globs and gently work them off you can remove them without too much additional damage--just be sure to pull away from the body, along the length of the feather, and don't try to remove more than is already loosened. A Wide-tooth comb and fingernail brush are also helpful.

 

[silkiechick05]

Quote:
I've tried cutting the stupid things off but I want show them and they need foot feathers

 

[silkiechick05]

Any other ideas?

 

[onthespot]

Wonder if Show Sheen would help? Or WD-40, just a spritz on each foot when it was clean and dry, before they had a chance to step in anything yukky.

On a side note, YOU GUYS GOTTA SEE WHAT I GOT TODAY! A GORGEOUS TRIO OF WHITE HENS, AND A BLACK ROO WHOSE FULL SISTER HAS WON A BEST IN SHOW!!! He has a perfect comb! but too many hard feathers, but the hard feathers are really soft, if that makes sense. I will try to get pics tomorrow. I only paid $30 for ALL FOUR of them!!!!

 

[karen71]

I want to see the pics of the silkies in socks

My silkies have awful feet feathers - I had to trim some feathers on one it was so bad

I'll keep reading for the ideas .