Ohiki Bantam

     The Ohiki is a true rare bantam Chicken, as it has no larger counterpart. It is almost exclusive to Japan, where it is a highly prized bird, that was was developed and bred purely for ornamental purposes. The Ohiki is classed as a long-tailed bantam, and best known for its very short, olive-willow green legs, and incredibly long tail feathers. It has also very long saddle feathers that hang down the body, a single comb, and white earlobes.

     Ohikis are incredibly easy to handle, being very calm and placid, and a small flock of them running across a garden is a great joy to behold. The hens make wonderful and attentive mothers, as they are very dedicated to their hatch and very protective for the first few weeks. Unfortunately Ohiki hens don’t lay very well (around 60 light brown eggs per year), but they go broody quite easily.

     Ohiki roosters’ tail feathers can reach up to 100 cm long, so providing a higher perch is advisable indeed to allow the tail to hang properly. They are available in multiple color-varieties, but black-breasted red, silver-duckwing, and olden-duckwing colors of plumage are the most common ones for this magnificent breed.