Japanese Bantam Thread!

[madams8220]

Does anyone know where I could find some black japanese egg?

 

[ClickerChick]

Hey y'all! I've decided to post an update about my Black Japanese Bantams now that they are approximately 2 weeks old and have feathers! These two pics show the long legs well. The legs are longer than my Ameraucana Bantam's! The second shot is the best I have of a side view. (Please excuse the bedding on her wing ) The Ameraucana is a much better poser than the Japs! This shot compares the leg lengths of the two breeds. This one kind of shows both the front and side of the Japs. Jeez, those long legs! Yikes! Good for keeping their body clean, bad for showing!

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Hey y'all! I've decided to post an update about my Black Japanese Bantams now that they are approximately 2 weeks old and have feathers!

These two show the long legs well. The legs are longer than my Ameraucana Bantam's! The second shot is the best I have of a side view. (Please excuse the bedding on her wing ) The Ameraucana is a much better poser than the Japs!



This shot compares the leg lengths of the two breeds.


This one kind of shows both the front and side of the Japs.


Jeez, those long legs! Yikes! Good for keeping their body clean, bad for showing!

Wow on how long their legs are, I would have thought it would be reversed when compairing the breeds. I was reading though there is an increasing # of JBs being born with intermediate leg length versus just long and short, so now it looks like there maybe additional genes that affect leg length, intermediates are believed to have CP gene but it is being modified somehow. I guess I would hunt around for a chick or full grown bird with short legs to add to your breeding program.

I would use these guys to breed to until you can get a few short leggers, and to practice training techniques and all the things you need to know for showing, also even though we all know they are Long Leggers go ahead and use them... you need to practice showing too. In my experience which I fully admit is via 4H only the judges want 1st healthy and well adjusted birds, & 2nd breed traits. I have watched birds be disqualified because of poor health, negelect, and OMG it is trying to rip people to shreds (alot of the bantam breeds lost in showmanship becuase they kept attacking their handlers). You never know till you enter a bird what will happen, plus by going to shows you may find a breeder/shower that can help with getting CP gene reintroduced to your stock. I would look around for a few "professional" shows to attend as well, maybe not to show but to watch, learn and find birds. It seems some areas have "bird swaps" and "meet-ups" too, that might be a good way to network with other chicken folks in your area. I love the look of JBs even with Long Legs

 

[ClickerChick]

Wow on how long their legs are, I would have thought it would be reversed when compairing the breeds. I was reading though there is an increasing # of JBs being born with intermediate leg length versus just long and short, so now it looks like there maybe additional genes that affect leg length, intermediates are believed to have CP gene but it is being modified somehow. I guess I would hunt around for a chick or full grown bird with short legs to add to your breeding program.   I would use these guys to breed to until you can get a few short leggers, and to practice training techniques and all the things you need to know for showing, also even though we all know they are Long Leggers go ahead and use them... you need to practice showing too. In my experience which I fully admit is via 4H only the judges want 1st healthy and well adjusted birds, & 2nd breed traits. I have watched birds be disqualified because of poor health, negelect, and OMG it is trying to rip people to shreds (alot of the bantam breeds lost in showmanship becuase they kept attacking their handlers). You never know till you enter a bird what will happen, plus by going to shows you may find a breeder/shower that can help with getting CP gene reintroduced to your stock. I would look around for a few "professional" shows to attend as well, maybe not to show but to watch, learn and find birds. It seems some areas have "bird swaps" and "meet-ups" too, that might be a good way to network with other chicken folks in your area. I love the look of JBs even with Long Legs 

Hmm, I guess I should give some background info in them. The Japs are actually hatchery birds, from Murray McMurray hatchery. I am not a breeder (yet...), but I do show in 4-H. I kind of expected the hatchery to give me less than a good specimen of the breed, and knowing about the leg length genetics, I assumed they would send me long-legged birds. And they did!

The Ameraucana Bantam is straight from a breeder (pipsandseeps, the president of the Ameraucana Breeders Club), that I met up with at a show a week and a half ago. If I had known about the show before I ordered the Japs, I would have waited to get some chicks straight from show stock and professional breeders. But when I got the black Japs, I saw their long legs and knew I had to get at least one show-quality bird. :/

 

[NYREDS]

Hey y'all! I've decided to post an update about my Black Japanese Bantams now that they are approximately 2 weeks old and have feathers! These two show the long legs well. The legs are longer than my Ameraucana Bantam's! The second shot is the best I have of a side view. (Please excuse the bedding on her wing ) The Ameraucana is a much better poser than the Japs! This shot compares the leg lengths of the two breeds. This one kind of shows both the front and side of the Japs. Jeez, those long legs! Yikes! Good for keeping their body clean, bad for showing!

The leg length isn't the only problem. Their general type is wrong for Japanese Bantams. They are long in the back & carry their tails too low.

 

[greedyghost]

Hi everyone.

I just wanted to say that I've read your Japanese Bantam thread cover to cover and enjoyed every bit. Recently, I have been completely won over by the intelligence, steadiness, affection, hardiness, and strength of flight, that I have seen in my BTB Japanese chick. I know, I know, can't draw too many inferences from a sample of 1, but the other chicks are complete featherheads compared to this one. (Still totally lovable, though, being chickens!)

The chick I have is a hatchery chick, not show quality, and intended to live as a pet, but after being so impressed by its personal qualities, I've decided I'd like to raise this breed more seriously in the future. Not for show, but just to promote the correct attributes.

Anyway, I wondered if you would be able to help me sex the chick, since I'm so inexperienced. I'm sure you are so bored by these requests, but I will appreciate it so much. The flush of color at the base just started coming in at 4 weeks. Does this positively identify him as male?

Sora is 4-1/2 weeks old. (First picture at 1 day old, the rest are current day shots.)

 

[ClickerChick]

The leg length isn't the only problem. Their general type is wrong for Japanese Bantams. They are long in the back & carry their tails too low.

Yep, I won't be ordering from McMurray anymore, now that I have access to show-quality chicks. McMurray doesn't breed for show quality birds, just for pets or production.

 

[IrishAcreFarm]

Hi everyone.

I just wanted to say that I've read your Japanese Bantam thread cover to cover and enjoyed every bit. Recently, I have been completely won over by the intelligence, steadiness, affection, hardiness, and strength of flight, that I have seen in my BTB Japanese chick. I know, I know, can't draw too many inferences from a sample of 1, but the other chicks are complete featherheads compared to this one. (Still totally lovable, though, being chickens!)

The chick I have is a hatchery chick, not show quality, and intended to live as a pet, but after being so impressed by its personal qualities, I've decided I'd like to raise this breed more seriously in the future. Not for show, but just to promote the correct attributes.

Anyway, I wondered if you would be able to help me sex the chick, since I'm so inexperienced. I'm sure you are so bored by these requests, but I will appreciate it so much. The flush of color at the base just started coming in at 4 weeks. Does this positively identify him as male?

Sora is 4-1/2 weeks old. (First picture at 1 day old, the rest are current day shots.)

That comb does look pretty red for the age. I am by no means an expert with this breed, but i am thinking cockerel. Seems like a sweetheart, though!

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Yep, I won't be ordering from McMurray anymore, now that I have access to show-quality chicks. McMurray doesn't breed for show quality birds, just for pets or production.

Yeah, they are what they are. My daughter's birds where all hatchery birds via the feed store (except for 2 ducks... but they where not SQ either), the Geese where excellent and winners (a hatchery fluke), but the chickens where definitely production quality.

 

[greedyghost]

That comb does look pretty red for the age. I am by no means an expert with this breed, but i am thinking cockerel. Seems like a sweetheart, though!

Thanks for the response, IrishAcre. That was my thinking, too. It's a bit hard when I don't have other JBs to compare him to, but the comb does seem to be half-stepping in that direction. I've tried to compare it to other photographs that people have posted but it reminds me of when I first started collecting Hoyas and I couldn't tell the difference between a carnosa and a publicalyx. Things that are just ridiculously blatant to a practiced eye seem so much more ambiguous to a beginner.

He is definitely 100% lovable, whether he be cockerel, pullet or invading alien posing as chicken.