Reviews by Boggy Bottom Bantams

The d'Anver is one of the oldest know breeds of true bantam in the world.
Yet They are not very common out side the base color of quail. Personally I set out to change that and now have them bred up to 30 colors and working on more.

They are just the perfect little bantams. Males can be aggressive, but it's usually only in defense of his territory and his hens, which is a great trait to have in a bird. Last thing you want is a male who will bail on his broody mate.
They are very proud looking birds. The males carriage should be erect, chest out, tail up, and head sharp.
They are a rose combed breed, so they so very well in cold climates. Comb should be close fitting to the skull, broad in front tapering to a nice point in the back. It should follow the curvature of the skull, and be well spiked and void of any dips or hollow spots.
The beard and muffs should be thick and full and show no wattle, basically a set of eyes, and a beak should be all you can see threw the beard.
Legs are slate except in colors that dont allow for it like cuckoo, those will always be a mottled pearl leg color, there's nothing we can do about that, it's genetics.

There are no special housing or dietary needs. They take both heat and cold very well. They lay very well, though some of the rarer colors are slow. Production can start at 6 months, but is usually the following spring after they hatch. Hens will go broody and be very protective, but you have to allow them to. If you take eggs daily, they will just continue to lay.
Size wise, they should be about 26 ounces on the male and 22 on the hens, very small.

Hens are the most gentle of all chickens out there, most can be held with ease. Males come in 2 versions, grumpy and grumpier, with an occasional lap dog. Due to their tiny size though, their aggression is more of an aggravation than harm to most.

All in all, for a bantam, they are just perfect!

The phoenix and all long tailed fowl hold a special spot in my heart. To me these are just the perfect ornamental fowl in the chicken world. A properly bred bird from great lines is just a sight to see. Even those who hate chickens usually always have something nice to say when they see them for the first time. They are one of my primary breeds I focus on, in bantam mainly, but recently got some very nice large fowl too. I have them in over 20 colors and all are equally a sight to behold.

There are many misconceptions about the phoenix and their origin though. We have the hatchery world to thank for that. They ( every hatchery out there) describes them as being 20 foot tailed Japanese birds... Nothing could be further from the truth. Phoenix have never been bred in Japan. Their ancestors, the onagadori where. PHOENIX ARE NOT ONAGADORI. They are a totally separate breed created in Europe, especially Germany, and also in the USA. Onagadori lines were used in combination with things like leg horns, dutch, old english, and various game breeds to create the phoenix, just depended on whether the breeder was making large fowl or bantam sizes.

Phoenix usually reach 2-6 foot in tail length even in bantam. A good bird will have saddles about 1/4 the length of the main tail. Legs should be slate blue, ear lobes white and a single comb. Some of the top lines of phoenix carry more onagadori traits that others. Things like multiple feathering, not molting for up to 2 years, mutant feathering, etc can be traced back to lines of great breeding . But the average phoenix will just be a nicely feathered , annually molting bird.

The hens lay very well, and tend to brood well if given the chance. Some lines of hens also produce cockerel feathered pullets and often spurred hens. These are often the better hens for excellent male production, IF the testosterone levels are low enough in them for them to still produce, most will.

There are no special requirements to keep an average phoenix. You can even free range them if you wish. However, if you want your males to look their very best, special housing should be made for them. High roost, deep hay or sand beds over the entire pen, fully sheltered pens rain and mud is a no no, elevated water dishes etc... You want to do all you can to keep the tail and saddles dry and clean. Dirt, mud and poop will stick like a magnet to them causing them to become dry and brittle and break off.
Keep pen mates minimal, preferably non if you want a show quality tail, as the hens will step on dragging tails and break, damage or even pull them out. During the molt, try to separate your males in pens by themselves. The hens will often not be able to resist the exposed blood feathers coming in on the males and picking can become a problem.