A family friend who lives on a farm donated a deceased rooster to me last spring for my sculpture projects, but I didn’t examine it until I thawed it out the other day. I just noticed its feet and thought they would make for an interesting post. No species of bird has more than four toes, except for chickens. Some bird species have only three toes, while the ostrich has two toes. Most types of chickens have four toes, but some breeds are known for being polydactyl (having extra digits). Among these breeds are the Dorking, Faverolle, Houden, Sultan, and non-bearded Silkie Bantams. These breeds all have an extra "thumb". (The feet pictured here are from a rooster so there is also a spur on each foot which gives the illusion of 6 toes) In addition to having extra toes, some of these breeds also have feathers that grow down the side of their leg and along the outside edge of their foot, as seen here.
