Japanese Bantam Thread!

[CarolinaHen]

No serious breeder of Japanese Bantams would use a long legged male for breeding. By serious breeder I mean anyone interested in producing birds capable of winning in competition. Again, most serious breeders look for a leg length of about 3/4 inch in their breeding males.

Also, I value your opinion and would love critiques on my birds. I'll try to get better pics of this one as well as a couple other "possibles" if you wouldn't mind giving me a harsh eval of them. There are currently very few Japs showing in this area and the ones here are not very good. That's why we ordered eggs.

 

[ClickerChick]

What makes you think they are Japanese Bantams? They exhibit none of the proper breed characteristics.

I ordered them from Murray McMurray hatchery. These are actually the replacements for the three I originally got that didn't make it. These look the same as the others and the picture on the black Japanese bantam page on the website.

However, I agree with you that they look nothing like any Japanese Bantams that I've ever seen!

Their wings have started to drop, now that they have wing feathers. And their tails have just started to come in.

Here they are today, at about one week old:

 

[ClickerChick]

Hmm, my Ameraucana bantam has shorter legs than the Japanese bantams... That's not right... XD

I'm guessing the Japanese breeder that supplies Murray McMurray isn't a good one. We guessed that the strain was too "pure"/inbred, which was causing many of the chicks to be weak and die shortly after arriving (we thought that them getting chilled on the way over could also be a reason they died). Also, none of the Japanese we have received (I think we have gotten close to a dozen total) have been short or even medium legged. The breeder must just be re-breeding the birds, not adding any new blood in or breeding for short legs and letting the dominant long-leg gene take over the flock. (This is just a scenario I've made up in my head, so there could be a number of things going on and I could be totally wrong!).

Or, we've just been plain unlucky.

 

[CarolinaHen]

Probable pullet. Critique NYReds...

 

[CarolinaHen]

I'm seeing very few Japs that I feel meet SOP. I realized there were few exhibitors in my area with quality birds, so I ordered eggs from a lady who has nice japs. I also show Seramas and see a lot of inferior quality birds in that breed. However, most of the Japs I'm seeing look more like Seramas :/
Of the 36 eggs I incubated, 27 hatched. I am keeping all short legged birds, and if I don't have at least a pair in each color that meets my criteria, I'll keep the best trio of that color and work diligently to improve until we get to SOP. 3/4 inch leg length is max, but if 1 inch is the best cockerel I have, we will work down from there.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I'm seeing very few Japs that I feel meet SOP. I realized there were few exhibitors in my area with quality birds, so I ordered eggs from a lady who has nice japs. I also show Seramas and see a lot of inferior quality birds in that breed. However, most of the Japs I'm seeing look more like Seramas

Of the 36 eggs I incubated, 27 hatched. I am keeping all short legged birds, and if I don't have at least a pair in each color that meets my criteria, I'll keep the best trio of that color and work diligently to improve until we get to SOP. 3/4 inch leg length is max, but if 1 inch is the best cockerel I have, we will work down from there.

CarolinaHen since you show and breed both breeds I have a Q. I have been comparing breeds so I better understand them, and is it correct that Seramas have longer legs then the JBs (keeping proportion of size in mind)? Body carriage if definitely more erect it seems too.

 

[CarolinaHen]

CarolinaHen since you show and breed both breeds I have a Q. I have been comparing breeds so I better understand them, and is it correct that Seramas have longer legs then the JBs (keeping proportion of size in mind)? Body carriage if definitely more erect it seems too.

Yes. The Seramas should have enough leg length to allow the wings to be vertical. I knee seeing crappy Japs, so I am going to work with this breed now as well. Basically, Japs should be horizontal and Seramas should be vertical.
Here is my Serama rooster. His neck is a bit longer than I would like, and his tail looks like crap right now, but you can see how good his type is. I'm using him to improve type on my girls since they don't have quite as upright a carriage as I would like.
I can't wait until I can actually take a good Jap to the show along with a good Serama and show the difference between the two.

 

[CarolinaHen]

Here is a great illustration someone posted of the difference.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Okay that helps me alot, alot of the pics on the web of JBs seem to be long legged.

 

[CarolinaHen]

Okay that helps me alot, alot of the pics on the web of JBs seem to be long legged.

I agree! Sometimes it's difficult to tell if it's a bad Jap or a decent Serama :/