Homestead

Black Chickens With Feathers On Feet [4 Breeds]

Black chickens with feathers on their feet are known for their striking black plumage and the interesting feathers that they have on their feet. These hens are also well-known for their hardiness, broodiness, and their ability to lay eggs.

Popular Breeds Of Black Chickens With Feathers On Their Feet

Numerous breeds of chickens exhibit these interesting and attractive characteristics. Here are just a few.

Silkies

While silkies are available in a variety of different colors, you can get black ones, and these are quite striking. This is also a very friendly breed and is adored by enthusiasts.

They have a lifespan of around 7 to 9 years, but with some excellent care, they can live for longer. Silkies are bantams which means that they’re miniature in size but are fairly common among backyard breeders.

The most outstanding feature of this breed, aside from the silky soft feathers, is the profuse covering of feathers they have on their feet. 

Silkies will generally lay around 150 cream-colored eggs per year and have a friendly, docile, and calm demeanor. Interestingly, silkies with black feathers also have black or dark blue colored skin. 

These chickens make excellent backyard pets, and the hens are particularly broody. This makes them a great addition to your flock if you want to breed your own chicks, as they’ll happily sit on eggs that have been laid by other hens.

Cochin Chickens

Cochin chickens also come in a variety of different colors, one of them being black. Of course, they have a profusion of feathers on their feet, which makes them look like they’re wearing fluffy slippers.

They also have quite a plump appearance with a lot of feathers, and these also cover their legs. All of these feathers give the hens quite a comical appearance which is probably why they seem to be so endearing for backyard chicken owners.

This breed originated in China, and there is also a miniature version often called the Pekin Bantam. These hens will lay up to 180 medium-sized brown eggs per year. Full-sized cochin hens can weigh up to 11 pounds, but they are regarded as the gentle giants of the chicken world.

Another thing to love about these chickens is that they’re quiet and docile, which means they make excellent backyard pets. In fact, these hens are regarded as one of the most friendly breeds of chickens available.

The hens are also quite broody and tend to make excellent mothers. This is one of the reasons why they’re often used as foster mothers to hatch and raise eggs from other hens who aren’t broody. 

Cochin chickens can also handle the cold quite well, thanks to their mass of feathers. You might even find that they will lay eggs throughout the winter months when other breeds won’t.

Faverolles

Faverolle chickens originated from France, and they’re quite elegant birds with their thick plumage and lightly feathered feet. This is a composite breed that was created by mixing cochins, dorking, and houdans.  

These hens are available in a wide variety of colors, with one of them being black. Each hen will lay more than 240 eggs per year which makes them very reliable laying hens. 

Additionally, these hens are friendly and laid back, and everyone who owns one instantly falls in love with the breed.

Sultan Chickens

This is another unique and interesting breed that originated from Asia. These hens are available in a variety of colors, including white, blue, and black. What sets it apart from other breeds is the raised feathers on top of the head that almost look like the hen is wearing a turban.

You’ll also be surprised when you look at the feet of a sultan hen because you’ll notice five toes and, of course, feathers. But what makes these chickens such popular pets is their friendly nature and their diminutive size. They generally only reach a weight of around 4 to 5 pounds.

However, the only downside to this breed is that they’re not good egg layers. Each hen will lay around 50 to 100 eggs per year. These are medium-sized and white in color. On the plus side, these hens do make excellent meat chickens as they have quite large and tender breasts.

The Benefits Of Keeping Black Chickens With Feathers On Their Feet

There are numerous benefits to keeping one of these chicken breeds in your own backyard or small farm. Firstly, they look quite whimsical with their feathered feet, but they are also very elegant and quite striking in appearance.

You’ll also find that these breeds are quite hardy, and most of them handle cold weather quite well. This could actually be one of the reasons that their feet are covered in feathers – to keep them warm.

While not all these breeds are exceptional layers, you’ll find that they will lay over winter, which some other breeds of chickens won’t. You’ll also find that they have interesting colors in their eggs, with some being snowy white while others are brown or cream colored.

Most breeds of black chickens with feathers on their feet are also quite broody. This means that they make excellent mothers and even foster mothers. Many of the hens from the breeds mentioned will also happily sit on another hen’s eggs, while some will even be happy to sit on duck or turkey eggs.

This makes these hens an excellent addition to your backyard flock if you have the notion of breeding and raising your own chicks to add to your flock.

What is quite outstanding about all these breeds is that the chickens are relatively docile and friendly. This makes them ideal for families with small children, as most of these hens will be more than happy to come for a cuddle or a treat when the kids go out into the garden.

Are There Any Disadvantages To Keeping Black Chickens With Feathers On Their Feet?

While these breeds are fairly easy to care for and quite hardy, there are a few things to look out for. One of these is mud. As their feet are covered in feathers, this also means that the mud is likely to stick to the feathers if you have your hens free-ranging.

While the chickens might not be particularly perturbed about getting mud on their feathers because the feathers are on the feet, they’re likely to carry the mud into the coop and, often, into the nesting box. This could mean that your eggs will be covered in mud when the ground is a bit soggy outside.

The only other problem that you may come across is ingrown feathers, and these can be quite painful if they’re on their feet and will need some kind of treatment to remove them.

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