Phoenix (breed of chickens)

Chicken and long-tailed rooster of the Japanese phoenix breed.

Phoenix rooster and hens on a walk

Phoenix is a breed of chickens obtained as a result of European selection work with Japanese long-tailed decorative chickens onagadori and yokohamata . According to the breed standard, the tail length in adult roosters should be at least 3 m, although the bird itself is small ^[1] . At the same time, in the village of Kate, local breeders bred a species with a light purple tail and a tail length of up to 7.5 m. Hens also have a slightly elongated tail ^[2] . At the University of Nagoya , whose employees continue to be engaged in further breeding of this long-tailed breed, it was possible to obtain a specimen with a tail 11 meters long ^[3] . The breed originated in medieval Japan , where the bird was kept at temples and imperial palaces. Phoenixes are forbidden to kill. Roosters are roosted in special tall and narrow tomebako cages 1.8 m high, 0.15-0.18 m wide and 0.8 m deep, wrapped in straw, or in glass cabinets . Food and water are fed directly to the perch located at the top of the cage. Three times a day, roosters are released on a paddock. To protect the tail feathers from mechanical damage, they are wound on a papillot or laid on a special trolley. Phoenix eggs are usually laid under hens of other breeds, since phoenixes are considered tender and moody. However, chickens have average egg production and maintain a hatching instinct. In 1878, long-tailed phoenixes were first brought from Japan to Germany , from where they came to England and France . In 1886, the Moscow Poultry Society brought phoenixes from France, but attempts to breed them in Moscow failed.