FOOTFEATHERING By: Bobo Athes For the vast majority of chicken breeds, especially for the utility breeds, footfeathering is not included in the standard. Yet, in the case of ornamental breeds, it is a highly impressive feature, starting with the Barbu D Uccle and ending with Brahma and Cochin. However, there are some breeds that should have a certain type of footfeathering and a certain amount of footfeathers, like Marans (although some countries have standards in which footfeathering is a fault), Faverolles or Croad Langshan. These breeds have poor footfeathers, and any exaggeration is a defect in exhibitions. Picture above: Light Brahma chick, with promising footfeathering: fluff on all toes and on the inner side of the leg. Large amount of fluff on the middle toe. Right and next page: Brahma chicks with decent footfeathering, but with no fluff on the inner side of the legs and on the inner toes. In the following, I will refer mostly to the two giant breeds for which footfeathering is a distinctive, highlypraised characteristic: Brahma and Cochin. In both cases, footfeathers must build a complete, uninterrupted cushion around the toes, with massive feathering of the whole leg. In the former, the feathers have to be rather hard and long, but without building vulture hocks that are too obvious.
Left: Brahma chicks with decent footfeathering, but with no fluff on the inner side of the legs and on the inner toes. There is no limit to as how long the footfeathers should be, but the basic principle is the more, the better. I have never heard a judge say that a Brahma has too much footfeathering. In the ideal case, the leg should be covered in feathers from all sides, and the inner toes must also be covered in fluff or short feathers. This is a feature easily noticeable even in day-old chicks, as soon as they are dry, yet it cannot provide sure information about how massive the footfeathering of that particular chick will be. The building of the footfeathers is influenced by a series of factors: the genes of the parents, feeding, age, the behaviour of the birds, and the conditions in which they are kept. I ll discuss them point by point. Below: Light Brahma and Buff Cochin cockerels, with good footfeathering. The Brahma has long, hard feathers, while the Cochin has soft, fluffy feathers, with a massive amount of fluff on the shanks. Footfeathering is basically produced by two genes, Pti-1 and Pti-2. Some breeds, like Faverolles, Croad-Langshan or Breda have only one, while others, like Sultan, Cochin, Barbu d Uccle have two of them. Brahma has only one gene, but a different allele from the one in Langshan, which explains the difference in footfeathering. Of course, selective breeding had a tremendous influence upon the way in which footfeathering looks, in the case of each breed. For the breeds that must have a large amount of footfeathers, nutrition is of paramount importance. When not properly fed, with the adequate amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, the birds won t have the resources for building all the extra-feathering on their feet and legs.
Cocks with faulty footfeathering. The Light Brahma at the left shows rather obvious vulture hocks, while the feathers on the toes are too short, and the middle toe is not completely feathered. Below: The Buff Cochin also has hocks, and the footfeathering is not as fluffy as it should be. Left: The White male has rather hard feathers, and the footfeathering is interrupted at the joint. The footfeathering of Cochin (no matter if large or bantam) should be as soft as fluffy as possible, with no hard feathers, like in the Brahma. Especially the shanks should contain a massive amount of fluff, with the wings buried, so-to-say, with their lower part in that mass of fluff. This trait is particularly obvious when the birds are washed and prepared for shows. Right and next page: The right type of footfeathering in Cochin: fluffy, massive, with no hard feathers. And there is always room for better...
Above and right: The right type of footfeathering in Cochin: fluffy, massive, with no hard feathers. And there is always room for better... There seems to be a connection between extreme footfeathering and various malformations, at least in the case of Brahma and Cochin. Drawing upon my personal experience as a breeder, I ve noticed that the chicks that had leg problems when newly hatched (twisted legs, crooked toes and so on) also had a tremendous amount of fluff on their legs. I ve even seen cases when these chicks with exaggerated footfeathers had fluff on their soles. I don t think that the existence of a lethal gene causes the simultaneous appearance of physiological faults and the more-than-average footfeathering, like in the Chabo, for example, but I guess there is some sort of connection between these two features, as the number of chicks I ve seen is beyond any rate of coincidence. Difference between good and bad footfeathering: left, poor footfeathering, in the middle, almost decent footfeathering, and on the right, very good footfeathering. All the cockerels were still feathering up, but you can easily imagine which of the three got the best footfeathering in the end.
The right type of footfeathering in Brahma: long, hard feathers on the toes, with no obvious hocks, middle toe well feathered. Footfeathering is also susceptible to decrease because of inbreeding. I know a Brahma breeder who used the same male for 3 consecutive years (first with unrelated hens, then with his daughters, then with his nieces ). Then, the best birds were chosen from the F3 generation and used for two more years. The original birds had an impressive amount of footfeathers, but each generation moved farther away from that quality of footfeathering. Each generation was fed the same, kept in the same enclosures, with the same average number of chicks hatched each summer. The breeder wanted to bring his bloodline (Light Brahma) as close as possible to the original male (it was really a beautiful specimen). And he eventually succeeded in doing so, with everything (type, colour, wings, shape of the head, comb, tail) except footfeathering. Last year, he even had a couple of pullets (from the same bloodline) that were almost clean-legged, or had the type of footfeathering one could see on a Faverolles, for example. A mention must be made: each year, only the birds with the best footfeathering were selected for breeding. Yet, the quality of footfeathering had a constant decrease throughout the years, and the reason must be inbreeding. Left: White Cochin cock, with his foot feathers worn off because of wet grass and mud.
Right: The same cock, after 3 months, almost fully feathered, kept on wood shavings. Before shows, breeders usually keep their top birds on wood-shavings, or something similar, in individual pens. This helps for keeping birds clean and their footfeathering intact. Yet, I would not recommend the same approach for still developing young birds. If kept only in enclosures, on wood shavings, they do build impressive foot feathers (given the right genetic heritage, of course) but they also tend to lose their vitality especially young Brahmas, while Cochin chicks seem to do better under the same circumstances, without losing their appetite and their vigour. As far as Brahma chicks are concerned, I am always willing to sacrifice the looks of the footfeathers for the benefit of having healthier birds. The chicks that enjoy a lot of space for exercise during their first year can be confined and cage-trained much easier in the second year, as a preparation for shows (the footfeathering on Brahmas is usually much more impressive in the second year, when feathers are harder, and the birds are already fully grown). Yet, confinement alone does not guarantee good or intact footfeathers. The birds - especially the males can easily break their footfeathers when strutting their stuff near the cage wire, usually at the sight of other birds. In order to prevent this, you can use a wooden board, placed at a height of about 40 50 from the bottom of the pen, at a distance of about 25 centimetres from the walls or the net. This way, the bird is not allowed to get too near to the net/ wire and rub its footfeathers against it, breaking them. Above: Free-ranging Brahma cocks: the damage to the footfeathering is not so obvious like in the Cochins, even though most of the foot feathers are broken and dirty.
A special position in the discussion on foot feathers belongs to Silkies. Due to their special type of plumage, they cannot have any kind of hocks, even though the footfeathering can be abundant. Also, because of the silky texture of the plumage, the foot feathers on Silkies can be worn off much easier than in the case of Brahmas, for instance. Silkies, day-olds and adult female. There is no direct connection between the vulture hocks (the hard feathers protruding from the hock joint) and the footfeathering. In fact, they are not considered a fault, unless they are stiff, with hard shafts and pointing out seen from one side. Otherwise, hocks are common in Brahmas, completing their image. The footfeathers on the shanks can be below average, but with nice footfeathers on the toes, and vice versa. In the ideal case, in Brahmas, the footfeathering should be as massive as possible, with soft hocks and hard, long feathers on the toes, and without any sort of interruptions. The way you could use wooden board to protect males in individual pens from breaking their foot feathers against the net. And speaking about wearing-off the footfeathering; in the case of large Brahmas and Cochins, free-ranging birds usually show broken foot feathers, but the quality of the overall footfeathering should still be obvious, no matter for how long have the birds been staying outside. Mud ruins foot feathers worse than grass (or wet grass), and it is also more dangerous for the birds toes. Again, long walks in muddy places or wet grass can also become dangerous for the health of the birds. Due to the amount of feathers, if they get wet, they won t dry easily, the wet plumage cannot insulate the bird against cold
temperatures and it won t be able to stay warm. This is especially true in the case of Bantam Cochins or Silkies. Tall grass should also be avoided, for the breeds with hard foot feathers in particular. I learned this myself, the hard way, when I let a Light Brahma male, fully feathered, wander about in tall grass for a couple of hours (he had been kept in an individual pen, to give the hens a chance to properly feather up). After 2 hours, when I wanted to put him back in his pen, his feet were so full of blood, that I thought some dog had attacked him. I soon realised what had really happened: while walking in the tall grass, the long and hard feathers on his feet were being moved, even in the area of the calamus (the hollow shaft through which the feather is inserted to the skin, in a follicle). Newly grown feathers are irrigated with blood, and this tiny movements of the feathers caused the small follicles to bleed. It certainly wasn t a nice sight... Above: Large Brahmas and Cochins should be a bit long-legged, so that they have enough space for an impressive footfeathering to develop. Yet, the over-all image should be that of massive birds, not tall birds. Birds are losing and growing back feathers all the time, but this process is much more obvious during molting. So, good news about worn-off footfeathering: it will grow back, provided the fact that the birds are kept in clean, dry enclosures. And not only clean and dry, they also need bedding, otherwise the permanent contact with their own droppings could lead to problems much more serious than bad looking footfeathering. You can predict the footfeathering of an adult bird by looking at the fluff on the toes, just hours after hatching. The amount of fluff provides pretty accurate information about the amount of foot feathers that particular bird will have when reaching maturity. In Brahma and Cochin, I always prefer the chicks that have fluff on ALL four toes, and the inside of the leg also covered in fluff. This gives you a 80% certainty that the adult will have the right footfeathering. One should also pay attention to the middle toe. Not necessarily in the case of Silkies, but certainly in the case of Brahma or Cochin, the middle toe MUST be feathered. A chick with absolutely no fluff on its middle toe will not develop the correct footfeathering when fully grown. Then again, if you buy chicks that are 2 or 3 months old, with little or no footfeathering on the middle toes, chances are they might improve, if they had been poorly fed or kept in inadequate conditions. However, you should not place your hopes too high. Usually, good genes for footfeathering lead to the right phenotype, with this trait well developed.
Sometimes, having long foot feathers causes difficulties for birds when walking, but there is never a strong need to cut their foot feathers short. The birds tend to break off their feathers just enough for the them to walk normally. Yet, Brahma and Cochin Below: Even cats gather round to admire nice foot feathers...:) breeders should pay attention to any abnormalities of the leg bones, as they can easily be hidden by footfeathering, especially when the birds don t get enough exercise. Paying attention to footfeathering, especially in breeds like Brahma and Cochin, will guarantee having truly impressive birds. And although it requires extra care and attention, massive footfeathering will always attract attention, in the show room and elsewhere. Copyright 2007 Aviculture-Europe. All rights reserved by VBC