Polydactyl Chickens

steampunkkaja (52)in #weird • 7 years ago

Did you know that chickens with feathers on their feet have a tendency toward extra toes?

Silkies, in particular, have fairly high instances of polydactyly, and purebred silkies always have an extra hind toe. My two white silkies, however, are not purebred, but I got them to produce eggs, not win competitions. Here's a bottom view of this same chicken's feet:

Here are two pictures of my other silkie's feet:

Here are some pictures of my other chickens. No-one in this batch has started laying eggs yet, but they have started to cluck as well as cheep, so it won't be much longer!

The bottom photo shows the two silkies, in case you couldn't guess.