- Dec 18, 2009
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The development of long-tails goes as follows: [the origins of long crowing fowl follows the same route for the first couple of steps]
- jungle fowl hybrids from Java to China
These were the hybrids of male green jungle fowl and female red jungle fowl, in that gender order. They are still bred in Java and referred to as "Bekisar"; birds that possess both the long tail and long crowing genetics. Despite common belief that all jungle fowl hybrids are completely sterile, it is only the females of this hybridization that are sterile. Males are partially fertile and can be bred back to red jungle fowl derived domestic chickens to produce fertile F2s. Thereby passing on one copy each of the long tail and long crowing genetics to their offspring.
- jungle fowl hybrids exported to China via an old trade route that was established as early as 206 BC.
The trade route passed directly by Hainan Dao in the south of China. To this day the pure strains of Hainan Ji in China (known as "China Game" in the US) still produce birds that have one central wattle, or dewlap, and round-ended neck hackle. These are a throw back to their early hybrid derived ancestry. This was conveyed by a Chinese friend of a friend who is now a US citizen.
- birds refined into temple birds in China, become the ancestors to the Shokoku
The hybrid derived fowl spread through some other areas of China and gained popularity as ceremonial temple birds. Over time, they were refined into a form more like, but not the same as, the Shokoku.
- ancestors of the Shokoku exported to Japan during the 7th through 9th centuries AD
From the 7th through 9th centuries AD Japanese scholars were traveling to and from China in an effort to study the culture. It was during this time that the ancestors to the Shokoku were taken back to Japan.
- further refined and blended with Totenko
The hybridization with Totenko was likely to have occurred ca. 1818 according to findings by Professor Hiraoka who is the official record keeper of the fowl for the Kochi Prefecture.
- Shokoku and Totenko crossed, hybrid offspring refined as Onagadori
In the early days of refinement, the hybrid fowl were permitted a diet of rice husk, frogs, dragon fly nymphs, and crucian from the rice paddies. It was not until the 1920s that it became necessary to breed the fowl as cage birds for their own safety; both because of large blood feathers covering the entire back half of the male fowl and due to resistance. The Onagadori shares an almost green jungle fowl-like issue with foreign pathogens. The species does not adapt as readily as do breeds of mostly red jungle fowl heritage. It does best with a tropical to subtropical archipelago environment and a food source such as would be found in such a region. At this time the birds that would become, but yet were not yet, Onagadori seem to have been known as "goshikidori", a reference to color and not type, according to record. Goshiki is a term that refers to a very specific color pattern; five colors. Thus they were five-colored fowl (tori/dori). At mid way of development the birds were known as "chobikei", also read as "nagaodori". Even the Japanese did not call their birds "Onagadori" before the current state of development.
As a side note UG Athens found traces of distinct green jungle fowl DNA segments in the Onagadori, Totenko, Tomaru, and Ohiki in the mid 1990s, but has yet to publish the findings.
- Onagadori and Totenko exported to Europe at the end of WWII
Japanese long tailed breeds were exported from Port Yokohama to Europe near the end of WWII. Regardless of breed, all breed exported from Port Yokohama were collectively called "Yokohama's". This resulted in Onagadori, Totenko, Minohiki, and anything else that had a long tail being bred together indiscriminately.
- Onagadori and Totenko blended with leghorn and game breed, standardized as Phoenix
These new breeds to Europe did not perform well, health-wise, in their new home and European breeders found it necessary to breed the fowl with their own breeds to increase resistance to European pathogens. The Europeans also found the non-molting trait of the Onagadori to be undesirable because the fowl did not molt and replace worn out, frayed, and broken feathers. The non-molting trait was eventually bred out to such a degree that instead of molting every three to four years, the crosses would molt every one to two years. At was around this point that the birds started to breed more true to form and became a standardized breed, the Phoenix; a molting long-tail breed. Though standard calls for slate colored legs, the body type, carriage, and molting tendencies are the hallmark of the breed.
- Phoenix imported into the US
Still in their early days of refinement, Phoenix were imported from Germany into the US.
- male Onagadori from the world's fair blended back in
Male Onagadori were featured at the world's fair in Canada ca. 1945. These birds eventually found their way to John Kriner Sr. After John Kriner Jr., the birds then went to Cy Hyde.
- offspring bred back to German Phoenix again, with Dutch Bantam and more game added in
Cy then bred in, amongst other breeds, bantam Phoenix from Germany that contained Dutch Bantam. Despite selection for the non-molting gene, it no longer exists in a pure form in this line. Had he not out-crossed the birds would have been lost all together due to a lack of resistance. Since there is no yet discovered record of there being any female Onagadori at the world's fair, and the Japanese often do not show or even photograph their Onagadori hens - deeming them too plain to be of interest, it is questionable that the line contains the necessary mitochondria components. Male DNA is only half of what a breed needs and mtDNA plays a large role since only the mother transmits it to her offspring. It's said that the Japanese breeders often use a matriarchal breeding system. I have not yet confirmed this as fact, but it's what I've been told by various people who are familiar with the subject.
- and thus we have our Phoenix, a nice long-tail breed that is suited to more breeders than are the Onagadori.
Despite more Onagadori blood being added back into what is now our Phoenix some 60 years ago, that was only adding back in a little more of what was already in the Phoenix to start with and we are still left with birds that molt every one to two years. The odd bird that crops up once in a very great while that may go a few years without molting the tail feathers is a genetic fluke. While it may be capable of producing an offspring like itself, until that type is set, it is not a breed. Rather, it is a non-decsript heterozygous genotype capable of producing a wide range of phenotypes. In order for a bird to be breed, it must be capable of producing the majority of offspring like itself. The majority, not the minority, is the group by which a breed is defined, termed, and classified.
The term Onagadori, even in Japan, is reserved for only the fowl that are homozygous for the non-molting gene in both the tail and saddles. The Onagadori is not a name applied to birds that are only one third or even half way along in refinement.
Any bird having a straight comb, white lobes, long legs, and molts the tails and/or saddles every one to two years is classified as a Phoenix, regardless of its more recent ancestry. The breed classification is based upon current phenotype and that of the majority of the offspring it produces. Unlike the Onagadori, the Phoenix is suitable to a wider range of breeders, just as the European developers had in mind. I am concerned for the Phoenix' future in the US, because as of late the breed's very name seems to be being replaced and looked upon as a "mutt" breed when the fact is that all breeds, even the Onagadori, is a product of crosses and hybridization.
For further details about what an Onagadori is, please review the complete translation of the official Japanese Onagadori standard. Granted, even not all Onagadori in Japan fully meet those requirements, but what sets their Onagadori apart from our birds that share only partial genetics, is that their birds have shown to be capable of producing such birds readily. Ours have not.
David
- jungle fowl hybrids from Java to China
These were the hybrids of male green jungle fowl and female red jungle fowl, in that gender order. They are still bred in Java and referred to as "Bekisar"; birds that possess both the long tail and long crowing genetics. Despite common belief that all jungle fowl hybrids are completely sterile, it is only the females of this hybridization that are sterile. Males are partially fertile and can be bred back to red jungle fowl derived domestic chickens to produce fertile F2s. Thereby passing on one copy each of the long tail and long crowing genetics to their offspring.
- jungle fowl hybrids exported to China via an old trade route that was established as early as 206 BC.
The trade route passed directly by Hainan Dao in the south of China. To this day the pure strains of Hainan Ji in China (known as "China Game" in the US) still produce birds that have one central wattle, or dewlap, and round-ended neck hackle. These are a throw back to their early hybrid derived ancestry. This was conveyed by a Chinese friend of a friend who is now a US citizen.
- birds refined into temple birds in China, become the ancestors to the Shokoku
The hybrid derived fowl spread through some other areas of China and gained popularity as ceremonial temple birds. Over time, they were refined into a form more like, but not the same as, the Shokoku.
- ancestors of the Shokoku exported to Japan during the 7th through 9th centuries AD
From the 7th through 9th centuries AD Japanese scholars were traveling to and from China in an effort to study the culture. It was during this time that the ancestors to the Shokoku were taken back to Japan.
- further refined and blended with Totenko
The hybridization with Totenko was likely to have occurred ca. 1818 according to findings by Professor Hiraoka who is the official record keeper of the fowl for the Kochi Prefecture.
- Shokoku and Totenko crossed, hybrid offspring refined as Onagadori
In the early days of refinement, the hybrid fowl were permitted a diet of rice husk, frogs, dragon fly nymphs, and crucian from the rice paddies. It was not until the 1920s that it became necessary to breed the fowl as cage birds for their own safety; both because of large blood feathers covering the entire back half of the male fowl and due to resistance. The Onagadori shares an almost green jungle fowl-like issue with foreign pathogens. The species does not adapt as readily as do breeds of mostly red jungle fowl heritage. It does best with a tropical to subtropical archipelago environment and a food source such as would be found in such a region. At this time the birds that would become, but yet were not yet, Onagadori seem to have been known as "goshikidori", a reference to color and not type, according to record. Goshiki is a term that refers to a very specific color pattern; five colors. Thus they were five-colored fowl (tori/dori). At mid way of development the birds were known as "chobikei", also read as "nagaodori". Even the Japanese did not call their birds "Onagadori" before the current state of development.
As a side note UG Athens found traces of distinct green jungle fowl DNA segments in the Onagadori, Totenko, Tomaru, and Ohiki in the mid 1990s, but has yet to publish the findings.
- Onagadori and Totenko exported to Europe at the end of WWII
Japanese long tailed breeds were exported from Port Yokohama to Europe near the end of WWII. Regardless of breed, all breed exported from Port Yokohama were collectively called "Yokohama's". This resulted in Onagadori, Totenko, Minohiki, and anything else that had a long tail being bred together indiscriminately.
- Onagadori and Totenko blended with leghorn and game breed, standardized as Phoenix
These new breeds to Europe did not perform well, health-wise, in their new home and European breeders found it necessary to breed the fowl with their own breeds to increase resistance to European pathogens. The Europeans also found the non-molting trait of the Onagadori to be undesirable because the fowl did not molt and replace worn out, frayed, and broken feathers. The non-molting trait was eventually bred out to such a degree that instead of molting every three to four years, the crosses would molt every one to two years. At was around this point that the birds started to breed more true to form and became a standardized breed, the Phoenix; a molting long-tail breed. Though standard calls for slate colored legs, the body type, carriage, and molting tendencies are the hallmark of the breed.
- Phoenix imported into the US
Still in their early days of refinement, Phoenix were imported from Germany into the US.
- male Onagadori from the world's fair blended back in
Male Onagadori were featured at the world's fair in Canada ca. 1945. These birds eventually found their way to John Kriner Sr. After John Kriner Jr., the birds then went to Cy Hyde.
- offspring bred back to German Phoenix again, with Dutch Bantam and more game added in
Cy then bred in, amongst other breeds, bantam Phoenix from Germany that contained Dutch Bantam. Despite selection for the non-molting gene, it no longer exists in a pure form in this line. Had he not out-crossed the birds would have been lost all together due to a lack of resistance. Since there is no yet discovered record of there being any female Onagadori at the world's fair, and the Japanese often do not show or even photograph their Onagadori hens - deeming them too plain to be of interest, it is questionable that the line contains the necessary mitochondria components. Male DNA is only half of what a breed needs and mtDNA plays a large role since only the mother transmits it to her offspring. It's said that the Japanese breeders often use a matriarchal breeding system. I have not yet confirmed this as fact, but it's what I've been told by various people who are familiar with the subject.
- and thus we have our Phoenix, a nice long-tail breed that is suited to more breeders than are the Onagadori.
Despite more Onagadori blood being added back into what is now our Phoenix some 60 years ago, that was only adding back in a little more of what was already in the Phoenix to start with and we are still left with birds that molt every one to two years. The odd bird that crops up once in a very great while that may go a few years without molting the tail feathers is a genetic fluke. While it may be capable of producing an offspring like itself, until that type is set, it is not a breed. Rather, it is a non-decsript heterozygous genotype capable of producing a wide range of phenotypes. In order for a bird to be breed, it must be capable of producing the majority of offspring like itself. The majority, not the minority, is the group by which a breed is defined, termed, and classified.
The term Onagadori, even in Japan, is reserved for only the fowl that are homozygous for the non-molting gene in both the tail and saddles. The Onagadori is not a name applied to birds that are only one third or even half way along in refinement.
Any bird having a straight comb, white lobes, long legs, and molts the tails and/or saddles every one to two years is classified as a Phoenix, regardless of its more recent ancestry. The breed classification is based upon current phenotype and that of the majority of the offspring it produces. Unlike the Onagadori, the Phoenix is suitable to a wider range of breeders, just as the European developers had in mind. I am concerned for the Phoenix' future in the US, because as of late the breed's very name seems to be being replaced and looked upon as a "mutt" breed when the fact is that all breeds, even the Onagadori, is a product of crosses and hybridization.
For further details about what an Onagadori is, please review the complete translation of the official Japanese Onagadori standard. Granted, even not all Onagadori in Japan fully meet those requirements, but what sets their Onagadori apart from our birds that share only partial genetics, is that their birds have shown to be capable of producing such birds readily. Ours have not.
David
