You either saw a picture of a beautiful black chicken with feathers on their feet and you’re desperate to find out the breed, or you’re looking for a very specific addition to your flock… or both!
The good news?
There are more than a few chicken breeds that grow feathers on their feet, and a good handful of these can present in these dark, alluring black colors.
The result? Beautifully attractive (and mysterious) black chickens.
Here we’ve pulled together the top 5 breeds of black chickens that grow feathers on their feet and presented them in all their glory.
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What Chickens Are Black With Feathers On Their Feet?
So you’re looking for a long-lost love, perhaps a stunning black chicken with feathers on its feet.
Well, the best place to start is to take a look at all chickens that grow feathers on their feet. Then, of these chooks, look at which of these feathered-footed friends can also grow black feathers!
To save you the trouble of scouring the web or getting nose-deep into some chicken encyclopedias, here’s a roundup of all the most popular black chickens with feathers on their feet:
- Silkies
- Cochins
- Australorp
- Langshans
- Black Copper Marans
Let’s take a closer look at each.
Black Silkies
The first chook to fit the description is the stunning Silkie!
Originally from China or India (the origination isn’t certain!), these bantam beauties are fluffy in appearance, coming in colors such as buff, white, brown, grey, and of course, black!
Silkies are one of the most famous chickens to have feathers all over their bodies, including their feet, complete with a little afro on top of their head!
Both Silkie roosters and hens are relatively small, docile, and friendly. Even Silkie roosters aren’t aggressive by rooster standards!
Though, these boutique chickens are usually raised for their companionship rather than their egg production, as they normally only produce 100-120 eggs per year each!
Still, these beautiful creatures can be black in color and have feathers on their feet, and are amazing to raise to boot! Ticking all the boxes here.
Black Cochins
Cochin chickens originate from China, specifically Shanghai. They’re incredibly fluffy and come in several colors. One of those colors is black!
Cochins are famous for their large size and extremely fluffy appearance. A rooster weighs around 11 lbs, while a hen weighs about 8.5 lbs.
These chooks are classified as heavy chickens, and therefore can’t fly or jump very high at all – perfect for the backyard.
There are several distinct characteristics of a Cochin chicken:
- They are heart-shaped from the side (their butts are as fluffy as their heads!).
- Most of their feathers pile up around their legs and feet — giving them very feathery feet!
- They have a small single red comb on the top of their heads.
- They lay dark brown eggs.
Black Cochins certainly fit the description if you’re looking for black chickens with feathers on their feet!
For more about raising these beauties, check out our guide to Cochin hens and roosters.
Black Australorp
Australorps are stunning large-sized chooks.
The origins of these chooks tie back to Australia. The name Australorp was created to describe any Australian Black Orpington.
Although they don’t have as many feathers on their feet themselves, these plus-sized models have extremely fluffy thighs. This gives the impression they have feathers on their feet!
Black Australorps make for beautiful backyard companions. Gentle, beautiful, great egg-layers, and of course are black with a feathery feet appearance!
Check out this guide for everything you need to know about Australorps and their eggs!
Black Langshans
Langshans originate from Northern China. They’re greenish-black with black feathers on top of their tiny feet. They also have a long, luscious tail – quite a different look!
Langshans hens are on the slightly smaller size, weighing up to about 7 lbs. Roosters are the typical mid-size, weighing around 9 lbs.
Interestingly, Langhans usually have a confident posture when they walk around, but stick out their feathers and neck when interacting with each other.
They also lay unique, purple-brownish eggs. This, together with their black and feathered feet appearance might just scratch your itch!
Black Copper Marans
Move aside!
Here come some big, beautiful, Black Cooper Marans!
Oh come on, sure they aren’t ALL black, but that rich cooper color suits them so well, sitting on top of a very fluffy, black body and black feathered legs.
Black Copper Marans originate from southern France but can be found worldwide today, in up to 14 varieties (see more Cuckoo Marans).
Their feathers are greenish-black, their tail feathers stick out, and they have copper-colored feathers amid their black plumage – quite the sight!
The hens weigh around 6.5 lbs, while the roosters weigh 7-8 lbs, making them smaller than the standard size.
They are decent layers, great companions, smart, and fit the required description of black and feathery-footed chickens!
Wrap-Up
So there you have it.
The most common and popular black chickens with feathers on their feet are Silkies, Cochins, Australorps, Langshans, and Black Copper Marans!
Each of these chooks can come in black colors, and all have hilariously cute feathery feet.
But, this doesn’t mean they are all the same. It’s their differences that make them unique and stunning chickens!
Which one is your favorite?