• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Chicken & Chicks Info
  • Chickens
  • Chicks
  • Eggs
  • Blog
  • Find a Hatchery Near You
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Chickens
  • Chicks
  • Eggs
  • Blog
  • Peafowl
  • Egg Farms
  • Hatcheries
  • Avian Vets
  • Guinea Fowl
search icon
Homepage link
  • Chickens
  • Chicks
  • Eggs
  • Blog
  • Peafowl
  • Egg Farms
  • Hatcheries
  • Avian Vets
  • Guinea Fowl
×

Do Chickens Have Webbed Feet? | Chicken Facts

Modified: Sep 16, 2022 by Russell Crow · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Chickens do not have webbed feet, no. A lot of birds do have webbed feet, especially those that swim, of course. Sometimes chickens are born with some webbing, if it’s an issue it can be fixed.

Two brown chickens walking a backyard near a fence.

Not having webbed feet is one of the physical differences chicks have compared to some other birds. There’s always a reason that makes sense though as I’ll explain in this article.

Jump to:
  • Why Don't Chickens Have Webbed Feet?
  • Can Chickens Swim?
  • My Chick Has Webbed Feet
  • How to Fix a Webbed Toe on a Chick
  • In Summary - Do Chickens Have Webbed Feet?
  • Resources

Why Don't Chickens Have Webbed Feet?

The quick and simple answer is that chickens don’t need webbed feet.

Chickens have evolved (with our help) to the point where they are right now and they serve their purpose perfectly - laying eggs and providing meat.

Animals that have webbed feet do so because they need to swim. Some obvious examples are penguins, ducks, swans, beavers, and so on.

It’s not only birds that have webbed feet, but there are also some mammals that do too. So, it’s not specific to the type of animal, more so due to whether or not they need them to swim better.

Having webbed feet allows these animals to swim so much more efficiently. As they spread their toes, the webbing creates a larger surface to push more water.

That’s why we wear flippers for underwater swimming. We might not have webbed toes, but we’re smart enough to make some we can slip on!

See also  Can Geese and Chickens Live Together? (Risks, Pros & Cons)

Can Chickens Swim?

A rooster and a hen near a backyard pond.

Chickens are birds with wings, so they should be able to swim, right?

They don’t look that dissimilar to ducks, so it’s not that strange of a question to wonder if they can swim.

The answer is - yes and no. Chickens can swim a little to get out of the water, but they really aren’t comfortable on the water.

By this, I mean they are able to survive in water for a while but they don’t want to be there and will get out as soon as they can.

Just watch this video below, this is a typical reaction for a chicken being placed in water:

It was only a few seconds, but as you can see, a chicken can float but will use their wings to get out of the water as quickly as possible.

This is because there are some key differences between chickens and ducks, these are:

Chickens do not have webbed feet - this makes a huge difference to how effectively they can paddle along.

Their feathers are not waterproof - chickens do not secrete oils to keep their feathers waterproof. This means, the longer they’re in the water, the heavier they’ll get. This can become dangerous if the chicken can’t get back to land.

They lack balance - I’ve seen a few videos of chickens in water, it’s evident from the lack of time they spend in water that they can’t balance well and aren’t great at floating.

My Chick Has Webbed Feet

A close-up of chicken yellow feet.

It’s not that uncommon for a chick to have some webbing between their toes. I’ve seen it a bunch of times, anything from a small bit of webbing to toes actually fused together.

See also  Can Chickens Eat Cherry Tomatoes? (+ Other Types)

It’s a mutation, deformity, whatever you want to call it. Often, it’s not a big deal. If it’s not causing them any issues walking and functioning normally, you probably do not have to do anything.

If the webbing is going to cause them some problems, you will need to do something about it. Otherwise, they’ll struggle to get their fair share of food and will get picked on by other members of the flock if they see a weakness.

Related - Do chickens have toes?

How to Fix a Webbed Toe on a Chick

If you’re interested to see how someone split two toes webbed together, in the video below a woman simply cuts the webbing to free the toes.

I don’t recommend doing this yourself, of course. You should always seek the advice of a licensed veterinarian.

But it does demonstrate how simple it is to fix a webbing mutation, and the chick grew up to be a healthy rooster with no ill-effects as a result of this birth defect and fix.

In Summary - Do Chickens Have Webbed Feet?

Chickens do not have webbed feet. They do not need webbing between their toes because they do not need to, or like to swim.

If you’ve seen webbing on a chicken's foot it was either a mutation, which isn’t that uncommon, or it wasn’t a chicken you were looking at!

Resources

Why do some animals have webbed feet? - Quora.com

Do Chickens Have Webbed Feet? | Chicken Facts poster.

More Chickens

  • Scots Grey Chicken Breed Info
  • Scots Dumpy Chicken Breed Info
  • Old English Pheasant Fowl Chicken Breed Info
  • Muffed Old English Game Chicken Breed Info

Primary Sidebar

Looking for Chicks For Sale?

Or, check out our extensive list of the best hatcheries by state here!

Recent Posts

  • Scots Grey Chicken Breed Info
  • Scots Dumpy Chicken Breed Info
  • Old English Pheasant Fowl Chicken Breed Info
  • Muffed Old English Game Chicken Breed Info
  • Modern Langshan Chicken Breed Info

Categories

  • Blog
  • Breeds
  • Chickens
  • Chicks
  • Eggs
  • Find a Hatchery Near You
  • Find an Avian Vet Near You
  • Find an Egg Farm Near You
  • Guinea Fowl
  • Peafowl

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 Chicken and Chicks Info LLC.