Chicken Feathers

One doesn't normally think of chickens are "pretty" birds.   When you think of pretty birds, ones like bluebirds, cardinals and robins come to mind.  However, I realized one day while I was watching our chickens that they are just as pretty as these other birds.  You just have to look closely to see their beauty.   I took some pictures to show you what I mean.

Here we have some neck feathers. 

More neck feathers.  This one would not hold still to have her picture made.  I finally had to grab her.

Tail feathers.

Rump feathers.

Covering their body, chickens have a layer of small, fluffy feathers that lie underneath the outer feathers.  These are called "down" and help to keep them warm.

On the underneath of their bodies, the feathers are so fine that they look almost like hair!

So, the next time you see a chicken, be sure to take a close look at it.  You may be surprised at how pretty they actually are.