Phoenix chicken
 A golden Phoenix hen and rooster, showing the classic long flowing plumage of the breed. | |
| Conservation status | Study |
|---|---|
| Other names | German: Phönix |
| Country of origin | Japan; Germany |
| Traits | |
| Weight | |
| Skin color | Yellow |
| Egg color | Cream or tinted |
| Comb type | Single |
| Classification | |
| APA | All other standard breeds[2] |
| ABA | Single comb clean legged |
| PCGB | not recognised[3] |
| APS | Light breed softfeather[4] |
| |
The Phoenix is a German breed of long-tailed chicken. It derives from cross-breeding of imported long-tailed Japanese birds similar to the Onagadori with other breeds.[5]
History
The Phoenix breed was created by Hugo du Roi, the first president of the national German poultry association, in the late nineteenth century. A few delicate imported long-tailed Japanese birds were cross-bred with birds of other breeds including Combattant de Bruges, Krüper, Leghorn, Malay, Modern Game, Old English Game, Ramelsloher and Yokohama.[5]
The Silver variety of the Phoenix breed was accepted into the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection in 1965, and the Gold in 1983.[2] Black Breasted Red is reported as recognised in 2003,[5] but is not listed by the APA.[2] The Phoenix was first accepted in the Australian Poultry Standard in 2012, with any colour standardised in Old English Game accepted.[4]
Characteristics
The Onagadori has a recessive gene which prevents it from moulting each year in the usual way. This gene was not transferred to the Phoenix, so its tail does not reach the same remarkable lengths as that of the original Japanese stock. The tail may reach 90 cm or more.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Carol Ekarius (2007). Storeys Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781580176682. p. 143–44.
- ^ a b c APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties As of 1 January 2012. American Poultry Association. Accessed August 2014.
- ^ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Accessed August 2014.
- ^ a b Australian poultry standards (2 ed.). Ballarat, VIC: Victorian Poultry Fanciers Association Limited trading as Poultry Stud Breeders and Exhibitors Victoria. 2011. p. 121. ISBN 9781921488238.
- ^ a b c Phoenix Chicken. The Livestock Conservancy. Accessed August 2014.
