Review on:

Phoenix

Boggy Bottom Bantams’s Rating

---

Community Rating:

(4 reviews)

The phoenix and all long tailed fowl hold a special spot in my heart. To me these are just the perfect ornamental fowl in the chicken world. A properly bred bird from great lines is just a sight to see. Even those who hate chickens usually always have something nice to say when they see them for the first time. They are one of my primary breeds I focus on, in bantam mainly, but recently got some very nice large fowl too. I have them in over 20 colors and all are equally a sight to behold.

There are many misconceptions about the phoenix and their origin though. We have the hatchery world to thank for that. They ( every hatchery out there) describes them as being 20 foot tailed Japanese birds... Nothing could be further from the truth. Phoenix have never been bred in Japan. Their ancestors, the onagadori where. PHOENIX ARE NOT ONAGADORI. They are a totally separate breed created in Europe, especially Germany, and also in the USA. Onagadori lines were used in combination with things like leg horns, dutch, old english, and various game breeds to create the phoenix, just depended on whether the breeder was making large fowl or bantam sizes.

Phoenix usually reach 2-6 foot in tail length even in bantam. A good bird will have saddles about 1/4 the length of the main tail. Legs should be slate blue, ear lobes white and a single comb. Some of the top lines of phoenix carry more onagadori traits that others. Things like multiple feathering, not molting for up to 2 years, mutant feathering, etc can be traced back to lines of great breeding . But the average phoenix will just be a nicely feathered , annually molting bird.

The hens lay very well, and tend to brood well if given the chance. Some lines of hens also produce cockerel feathered pullets and often spurred hens. These are often the better hens for excellent male production, IF the testosterone levels are low enough in them for them to still produce, most will.

There are no special requirements to keep an average phoenix. You can even free range them if you wish. However, if you want your males to look their very best, special housing should be made for them. High roost, deep hay or sand beds over the entire pen, fully sheltered pens rain and mud is a no no, elevated water dishes etc... You want to do all you can to keep the tail and saddles dry and clean. Dirt, mud and poop will stick like a magnet to them causing them to become dry and brittle and break off.

Keep pen mates minimal, preferably non if you want a show quality tail, as the hens will step on dragging tails and break, damage or even pull them out. During the molt, try to separate your males in pens by themselves. The hens will often not be able to resist the exposed blood feathers coming in on the males and picking can become a problem.