The Onagadori (‘honorable fowl’ in Japanese) is a rare chicken breed known for its exceptionally long tail, which can reach over 10 meters, putting even peacocks to shame.

Of the seventeen chicken breeds considered Japanese national treasures, the Onagadori is the only one to have “special” status. Ever since it received this status in 1952, exports of Onagadori birds and eggs were forbidden, so there are very few specimens, if any, found outside of Japan today.

The breed is famous for the non-molting, and thus incredibly long tails of roosters, which, if kept in the best conditions with high levels of animal husbandry, can grow for the lifetime of the bird.

The history of long-tailed fowl can be traced back thousands of years, but the Onagadori breed is believed to have been created in the seventeenth century, in Japan’s Tosa Province, on Shinkoku island. Its exact heritage is unknown, but experts believe that it was derived from other long-tail breeds like the Shokoku, Totenko and perhaps the Minohiki.

Onagadori roosters owe their majestic tails to a mutation of their ‘nm’ (non-molting) genes, which allows them to keep their tail feathers forever, but also to “gt” and “sg” genes which cause the rapid growth of the very same feathers.

Interestingly, Onagadori hens molt normally, while roosters never shed their tail feathers, and only shed the rest of their plumage every three years. This was actually one of the reasons European breeders didn’t really like the breed originally, because it meant that they would keep their frayed and damaged feathers for a long time instead of continually replacing them.

Because the Onagadori also had trouble adjusting to the European climate and habitat, breeders started crossing them with local breeds to keep some of the genetics of the Onagadori while making the new birds more resilient. That’s how the German Phoenix came to be. It looks very similar to the Onagadori, but molts more frequently than the Japanese fowl.

To be classified as a pure Onagadori, a rooster must have a tail of at least 1.5-meters-long. Considering that, under the right conditions, an Onagadori’s tail feathers can grow by 90 cm per year, roosters with tails measuring several meters are very common. The record currently stands at 11.3 meters.

Apart from the length of their tails, Onagadori roosters are also priced according to the number of Kawari-honge. This is a special type of feather in their tails, being the widest of them all. The number of these feathers can range from 1 to 4, so if a bird has four Kawari-honge, it is very sought-after by breeders and will thus fetch a high price.

The Onagadori breed is currently listed as endangered, with only around 250 birds being kept by 250 breeders. One of the reasons for this may be that the hens are poor egg layers (around 25 eggs per year).

Source: https://www.odditycentral.com/animals/onagadori-a-japanese-chicken-breed-with-majestically-long-tails.html

cc: lalasticlala

This is just so lovely, God is really marvelous

I'm waiting for Righteousness2 to come and link this to rapture

Weird things like this only happen in oyibo land.

lovely pics

Very easy to steal

Magnificient. They should be protected before some people start thinking of attaching those feathers to their heads.

Shalommy:
Weird things like this only happen in oyibo land.

Where they produce enough food they can make fowls honourable.

We Nigerians will become productive. One day.

All that and it’ll have very little meat. It reminds me of local turkeys, those things look big from puffed up feathers but the meat doesn’t last more than three days.

illicit:
Very easy to steal

As in ehn

I'm doubting if they are bred for meat because of their endangered status.

Ishilove:
I'm doubting if they are bred for meat because of their endangered status.

They are not bred for meat is the point. They have enough food in Japan that they can breed fowls for the lenght of it's tail.

I tried it once but area boys got hungry and ate it.

budaatum:


They are not bred for meat is the point. They have enough food in Japan that they can breed fowls for the lenght of it's tail.

I tried it once but area boys got hungry and ate it.

Lmao!! The black man in Africa has two major weaknesses; hunger and poverty

illicit:
Very easy to steal

Not quite, least not in Japan where they seem to have fewer thieves and more worthy things to steal.

Besides, it's a national treasure, which means the people of the nation protect it instead of destroy it.

I hope they are not worshipping it.

Looks irritating.

budaatum:


Not quite, least not in Japan where they seem to have fewer thieves and more worthy things to steal.

Besides, it's a national treasure, which means the people of the nation protect it instead of destroy it.

It's easy to steal

That's why it's going extinct

Mercychen:
I hope they are not worshipping it.

Looks irritating.

It looks cool

All the same it'll still taste like chicken, no?.

illicit:


It's easy to steal

That's why it's going extinct

The article gave a reason so you don't need to make up one!

The Onagadori breed is currently listed as endangered, with only around 250 birds being kept by 250 breeders. One of the reasons for this may be that the hens are poor egg layers (around 25 eggs per year).

illicit:
Very easy to steal

Nigerians wey dey fear pass anything, I'm sure they won't dare steal it bkus to them it looks weird & may just be a demonic or evil fowl...na blood of Jesus dem go scream & run by..

Rapture go soon take place finally

Must be a burden than beauty

budaatum:


The article gave a reason so you don't need to make up one!

That is one of the reasons

Read ur qoute again

Slowly this time

illicit:


That is one of the reasons

Read ur qoute again

Slowly this time

I do not think I can read it slowly enough to see where "easy to steal" is given for a reason the Onagadori hens are facing extinction.

In fact, what I see is that they are "listed as endangered", which means they are protected and therefore will be much harder to steal. But please, do read it slowly for me and highlight the relevant bits so I can be educated.

budaatum:


I do not think I can read it slowly enough to see where "easy to steal" is given for a reason the Onagadori hens are facing extinction.

In fact, what I see is that they are "listed as endangered", which means they are protected and therefore will be much harder to steal. But please, do read it slowly for me and highlight the relevant bits so I can be educated.

One of the reasons is that they lay fewer eggs...

It's there, you quoted it from the OP

illicit:


One of the reasons is that they lay fewer eggs...

It's there, you quoted it from the OP

I thought you said the reason was:

illicit:


It's easy to steal

That's why it's going extinct

Are you now agreeing it's not because of theft as you claimed?

budaatum:


I thought you said the reason was:
Are you now agreeing it's not because of theft as you claimed?

One of the reasons they are going extinct is that they lay fewer eggs

You should get my point now

illicit:


One of the reasons they are going extinct is that they lay fewer eggs

You should get my point now

So, not because "It's easy to steal", as you falsely claimed?

budaatum:


So, not because "It's easy to steal", as you falsely claimed?

ONE of the reasons is fewer eggs

U should get my point at this point now

This is serious!

Celebrity fowl





Who remember COW AND CHICKEN, cartoon

That tail is more of a curse than a gift.