Yokohama

[AnnikaLF]

We live in Florida and my son would like to add to his show birds at some point i was wondering if anyone in Florida has had any experience with the Yokohama and if it would be a good bird for my son to add(not in the same coop ) to his Japanese bantams he already has. He would like to have a verity in his showbirds we have looked for Blue Cochin bantams and cant find ANY

Thanks

 

[chicklover 1998]

Yokohama are some great looking birds but require a lot of maintenance because of the tail feathers, I haven't personally had them so I don't know how their personality is.

 

[AnnikaLF]

My step daughter has 2 Phoenix Roosters that have crazy long tails that can be a major pain when they are dirty. I think we have decided to stick with the 5 we have for now. My son is only 9 I don't know that he is ready for that much bird lol.

 

[chicklover 1998]

Well he may not be up to the work of a really long tailed bird but you could get him other easy to care for birds to practice with, your climate is perfect for seramas, if you could get some show quality RIR they are good but to get that sort of quality is hard to find, they are a very dark mahogany color, barred plymouth rocks, mille fleur bearded d'uccle, polish, wyandottes, marans for egg competitions on darkness of the eggs, I love all of these and all are great birds that can be used for showing. I have ameraucana and RIR though my RIR aren't quite show quality.

 

[AnnikaLF]

Well he may not be up to the work of a really long tailed bird but you could get him other easy to care for birds to practice with, your climate is perfect for seramas, if you could get some show quality RIR they are good but to get that sort of quality is hard to find, they are a very dark mahogany color, barred plymouth rocks, mille fleur bearded d'uccle, polish, wyandottes, marans for egg competitions on darkness of the eggs,  I love all of these and all are great birds that can be used for showing. I have ameraucana and RIR though my RIR aren't quite show quality.

He has 5 black tail white Japanese Bantams that he LOVES that he shows. It's his first year showing and we were kicking around ideas for next year. We are trying to keep with smaller birds because he's a thin little guy

 

[chicklover 1998]

campine, lakenvelder(not sure if spelled right), hamburg, andalusian, ancona, fayoumis, apenzeller spitzhauben, these are all great smaller birds not quite bantams but all are 6lb. or under are great birds,

 

[gaylittleswan]

I'm also in Florida and I'm a huge fan of my Red Shouldered Yokohamas. Although my roos are a bit flighty, the breed as a whole is relatively calm, and my females are much easier to catch than my standard breeds. Their tails don't really drag as much as phoenix tails, but I would discourage buying Yokas to people that cannot provide some sort of free ranging environment. I have mine in a spacious poultry cage with a roof (since they can fly when they're super agitated, like when we first bought them), and only the tips of the roo's tails are anything less than white. The hen's tails are very pleasant, they don't drag at all but they're still long and elegant in their own way.
In conclusion, Yokas are not a beginners breed, but they can bring a lot of pride to their owners and breeders. I do not regret being a yoka mamma.

 

[gaylittleswan]

Some yoka tips:
This is just what I've learned about my yokas, and may not apply to all yokohamas.

They do not travel well when shipped with other standard chicks. Although they are considered a standard breed, they are much smaller than the rest. Only 1/3 of the yoka chicks that were shipped to me from efowl ended up surviving (not to detract from efowl).

If you're buying the red shouldered variety, aim for as much red on the chest as possible. Little to no red on the chest will be a larger fault than too much red, and chances are you could get that perfect patterning.

Feed the hens extra protein. I give them non-medicated chick feed, with 18% protein. I've found literature talking about how they only lay one egg a week, but even before the extra protein they were laying about once every other day.

Don't keep yourself from buying the perfect bird! Remember, this is a critically endangered breed. Expect prices to be in the $30's and $40's range for an adult yoka, especially one of breeding age. If you're not ready to pay that price, the chicks are much cheaper but they are rather fragile from what I've found, so be careful with whom you buy them from and what other chick breeds they are being shipped with or raised with.

 

[AnnikaLF]

Thank you for the pointers. We have decided to stick with what we have for now.