Managing Feathered Feet -- A Poll and a Conversation

[OzarkChooks]

I have brahmas, a maran and a salmon faverolle. So far I haven't had any problems. We have VERY rocky soil and currently there is a thick layer of dead leaves everywhere. No ice on their feathers. They do get dirty from digging in the compost but I love their fluffy feet.

 

[Lexicon]

I thought that feathered feet would be a problem, but it has not turned out to be the case.
I ended up with a surprise Brahma and my clean legged Marans arrived with feathered feet as well.
Sometimes my Brahma's foot feathers look bedraggled on a rainy day when she heads into the coop for the night. They're always fluffy and dry by the next morning. She takes care of them herself.
My Marans has much more sparse feathers on her feet and they have never been a problem.
I have seen lots of posts about people who refuse to have feather footed birds because of potential problems and other posts about people who wash their hens' feet or help them in some way with their feathered feet. I have found feathered feet to be a non-issue for my twenty month old hens.

 

[Isadora]

I have only one bird with feathered feet and that's my head rooster, which is half silkie. So far we've had no issues with his foot feathers even though we have heavy clay which is extremely muddy.

 

[K0k0shka]

Don't have them, don't want them. Personally I don't like the look. They look messy and unnatural. My chickens are pets and hop into my lap, so I don't want to deal with dirty/poopy feathers bringing extra filth into my lap. I also live in a cold climate and don't want the added risk of ice lingering on their feet. I don't want to deal with the other chickens picking on the feathered feet, because chickens are dumb racists and will totally do that to someone who looks different I also don't like it when people stray too far from what nature and evolution intended, just for the sake of human amusement. So I don't like chickens with feathered feet, frizzled feathers, top knots that obscure their vision, or other aesthetic human whims that compromise the bird in some way just for the look.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I've never chosen breeds with feathered feet due to reading warnings the feathers could cause troubles. My soil is very sandy and fast-draining, but my chickens are free-range. I don't want any additional work created by needing to clean feathered feet. The answers on this thread so far have given me confidence feather-footed breeds may do fine. There are definitely some breeds I would like to have, but plenty of non-feathered feet breeds to choose from too. Will be following this thread with great interest.

 

[3KillerBs]

Don't have them, don't want them. Personally I don't like the look. They look messy and unnatural. My chickens are pets and hop into my lap, so I don't want to deal with dirty/poopy feathers bringing extra filth into my lap. I also live in a cold climate and don't want the added risk of ice lingering on their feet. I don't want to deal with the other chickens picking on the feathered feet, because chickens are dumb racists and will totally do that to someone who looks different I also don't like it when people stray too far from what nature and evolution intended, just for the sake of human amusement. So I don't like chickens with feathered feet, frizzled feathers, top knots that obscure their vision, or other aesthetic human whims that compromise the bird in some way just for the look.

I am glad that you replied. I didn't want this to be just feathered-foot-fans gushing about how much we liked our birds.

I will, however, note that Microraptor and the other "4-winged" dinosaurs show that the feathered foot mutation is very old in the genetics of dinosaurs -- avian or non-avian.

I understand the repulsion against distorting nature for our amusement -- I find those dogs with the oversized heads and extremely flat faces disturbing myself.

 

[3xhhheather]

Is there a difference in the density/texture of the foot feathers?

I haven't had problems with any of mine, but the Cochin's feet are INTENSELY feathered -- long and thick -- while the Langshans' and Marans' feet are moderately feathered (with the Brahma in the middle).

Yep, my BCM has a nice line of feathers down her leg to the ankle area, where my Favorelle looks like she’s wearing feathery legwarmers with slippers. She’s also the most bearded and the sloppiest drinker.

 

[K0k0shka]

I am glad that you replied. I didn't want this to be just feathered-foot-fans gushing about how much we liked our birds.

I will, however, note that Microraptor and the other "4-winged" dinosaurs show that the feathered foot mutation is very old in the genetics of dinosaurs -- avian or non-avian.

I understand the repulsion against distorting nature for our amusement -- I find those dogs with the oversized heads and extremely flat faces disturbing myself.

Dinosaurs had feathers all over, yes. But also, they lived millions of years ago, and those feathers were there for a practical reason, a result of natural adaptation to the environment Chicken foot feathers, on the other hand, were brought out of oblivion by people, for the purpose of amusement. They serve no other purpose, have no benefits, but do have potential problems. If we found a wild bird with feathered feet out in nature and domesticated it as is, I'd be okay with that, because the feathers would have a reason to be there and I'd know they're not compromising the animal. Likewise with flat-faced dogs and cats (oh don't even get me started on those!) I understand that most of what dogs look like today was artificially created by people, so it's harder to stick to nature there (same with chickens, actually). But I'm not a purist. I'm okay with changes, as long as they don't go too far or compromise the animal. So I'm not okay with feathered chicken feet or flat dog faces, but I'm totally cool with the rainbow of colors the animals now come in - something that wasn't there in nature, but which isn't really impacting their lives negatively.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yep, my BCM has a nice line of feathers down her leg to the ankle area, where my Favorelle looks like she’s wearing feathery legwarmers with slippers. She’s also the most bearded and the sloppiest drinker.

I was wondering because I have so much variation in the feathering intensity in my flock.

And, since right after I asked you about it I got stuck in my coop when it started raining, I spent the time taking photos of their feet:

 

[black_cat]

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I was wondering because I have so much variation in the feathering intensity in my flock.

And, since right after I asked you about it I got stuck in my coop when it started raining, I spent the time taking photos of their feet:
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That rooster is stunning!!!