Japanese Bantam
![]() A pair of black-tailed Japanese bantams | |
Other names | |
---|---|
Country of origin | Japan |
Distribution | South Asia |
Use | fancy |
Traits | |
Weight |
|
Skin color | yellow |
Egg color | cream or tinted |
Comb type | single |
Classification | |
APA | single comb clean-legged[3] |
EE | yes[4] |
PCGB | True bantam[5] |
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The Japanese bantam or Chabo is a breed of chicken originating in Japan. It is a true bantam breed, meaning that there are no large fowl counterparts. It has a large upright tail that often reaches over the bird's head. The wings angle down, and to the back, along the sides.
Characteristics
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Japanese_Bantam_cockerel.jpg/220px-Japanese_Bantam_cockerel.jpg)
The Japanese bantam has very short legs.[6]: 142 This trait is caused by a single lethal gene. All proper Japanese bantams are then heterozygous meaning that when the birds are bred, 25% of the embryos will receive two mutant alleles and die in shell. The other 50% of the embryos will receive one mutant allele and one wild type allele and will then be short-legged. The remaining 25% receive two wild type alleles and have legs that are longer than what most breeders want. Long-legged birds bred to each other will never produce short-leg offspring.
There are many colour varieties of Japanese bantam, with standardised colours including birchen grey, black, black mottled, black-tailed buff, black-tailed white, blue, blue mottled, blue-red, brown-red, buff Columbian, cuckoo, dark grey, golden duckwing, gray, lavender, Miller's gray, partridge, red, red mottled, silver-grey, tri-coloured, wheaten and white.[4] There are also frizzle-feathered and Silkie-feathered variations.[7][8] These chickens have been known to live for up to 13 years with proper care.
References
- ^ Breed data sheet: Shojo chabo/Japan. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2014.
- ^ Breed data sheet: Katsura chabo/Japan. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2014.
- ^ APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.
- ^ a b Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
- ^ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.
- ^ Victoria Roberts (2008). British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 9781405156424.
- ^ Australian Poultry Standards, 2nd Edition, Published 2012, Victorian Poultry Breeders Association
- ^ http://www.aviculture-europe.nl/nummers/12E02A04a.pdf
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