Post Phoenix Pics Please

[onagadori]

ok, ok, Since we don't mind mix breeds. Here's my boy Sampson. Sampson is a phoenix/sumatra/yokohama/auracana mix. (true rumpless) lol. Yep, he carries the blue and green egg gene. hmmmm.

 

[chrisf]

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Stunning!.....................................................................................chrisf

 

[onagadori]

Thanks. I am breeding him over some better gened splash hens and mixing in the black line from Toni. I also have some recessive white hens that I ran with the yokohama roo. The babies come out black but look otherwise like a yokohama. Yellowlegs, peacombs, etc. Maybe it is the first black yokohama line? But makes beautiful phoenix also. The splashes from this line have blue and red splashes on a white bird. Very pretty.

 

[Missy3b]

HELP!

My son's phoenix show rooster has been kept by himself so as to grow out his feathers before the fair. Last night, he snuck in the big house (they were all out in the yard last evening) and roosted so we let him stay for the night. When I went to move him back by himself today, his tail feathers look as if someone took a pair of scissors to him. I mean ALL the long, gorgeous feathers are gone. He suddenly looks like a Japanese instead of a phoenix.

I looked throughout the house and yard and there is no sign of feathers. So I have concluded that mice must have nibbled them off last night while he was roosting. We have a bad mouse problem and it makes sense that they could nibble the feathers off and take them back to their nest.

So my question is- what is the best food or mix to help grow feathers back quickly? My son knows he may have to make the difficult decision to wait another year to show him but we are going to do everything we can to help those feathers grow. It may take a miracle but I need your help. I have put kitten food and game grower food in his cage and we are NOT letting him out, even for a moment, until the fair at the end of July.

Any help would be so appreciated.

 

[tandersphoenix]

Hmm, hate to hear that. I have had birds drop all of their feathers before a show and know how you feel. Unfortunately these feathers take months to grow out so by the end of July will probably not be very good outlook. However, some of the best things I could tell you for getting good quality feathers back would be to add 5 lbs. black oil sunflower seeds and 5lbs. floating catfish food to every 100 lbs. of their regular feed. This will increase the oil in the feathers and make them very soft and also boost the protein for faster growth.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

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have to agree there.
First get rid of the mice too, they can and often do spread disease to chickens, like avian tuberculosis which will kill them in a heart beat, bad stuff. If they are bad enough to possibly eat a tail off over night, then they need to be dealt with quick.
but yes, a full molt is the only thing to restore the tail. Usually by now if he's an older bird, most will be in hard feather anyway so the growing is over. Catch him, look at the quills at the base of the tail, if they are hard and no longer blood filled at the base, he's done for the year. If the are blue looking and full of blood still, he is still growing and you will have some hope.
Like wise, sorry to hear it happened.

 

[onagadori]

Ok, I have been raising longtails for years. Here are some observations that may help. If he has dry blood feathers, no it won't grow, I would suggest pulling the feathers out which will put him back in blood feather. However in such a small time, unless you had a phenominal rooster he won't have time to grow it back. I have had roosters grow 6.5 ft tails in just over 6 months, but these are few and far between. Climate plays a roll. You can climatize by moving the bird indoors and keeping the temp around 70 deg. Also, Protein as someone mentioned is helpful. (that is what the catfish food was for) I personally would keep the bird on a higher protein diet. I would also recommend greens. Thiouracil is a compound found in greens like kale, cabbage, collards, etc. They must be from this family of greens and they will induce feather growth by slowing the thyroid down. This is why the japanese feed onagadori greens. Phoenix get their long tails from onagadori genetics. Vitamin and minerals are very beneficial also. I don't know that any of this would help this late in the game. But is food for thought to anyone out there conditioning birds.

 

[Celtic Hill]

So guess what!!!! Okay im totaly dispersing my whole flock of birds so i can dedicate my 6x6 coop to a pair of long tails! Not sure what breed I want, I just want something that is nice too look at, so I would even go with a crossbred pair. I had been incontact with Toni Marie back in the late winter and she said to contact her in the spring so I think im going to send her an email!

Would a 6x6 coop that is 8ft tall big enough for a pair of large fowl long tails? I want to give them optimal conditions to grow long tails, so should I not get hens so they don't moult? Sooo much reasearch I need to do!

 

[onagadori]

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Well, If you just want them to look at, a hen will step on the rooster's tail and also keep him out of blood feather. I would recommend a rooster be confined alone to condition for tail growth. But that is strictly up to you. I don't keep my young rooster's with hens when growing their tails out. The pen will be plenty big enough as a good longtail really spends most of their time on the roost due to low thyroid function which is characteristic of the breed onagadori. I would recommend Sand in the bottom of the pen as you won't want him wandering through the mud and also giving him alot of time with yourself if you chose not to provide him a hen. The japanese stroke and even tug on their tails gently to induce feather growth. Toni has some great birds and I am sure she would be happy to help you get some. She is a very nice lady!

 

[gallo4319]

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is the large size a good layer ?
I ask because I had a pair of red shoulder yokos and my hen was laying two or three eggs a week.
really poor layer even when i gave them extra protein