The Japanese chicken, a small bird with silky plumage. Have you heard of it? Without a doubt, it is one of the most exotic, beautiful and incomparable birds of the chicken species. It is usually called Japanese hen or Silky hen from Japan. Do you want to know more about her? We tell you more about its characteristics and care.

Characteristics of Japanese chickens

Depending on your sex, we can differentiate some relevant characteristics:

Female characteristics

1. It is a bird incredibly soft to the touch and with a very fluffy plumage, so much that it could look like a stuffed hen. This is because its feathers do not have many ribs. Roughly their color is usually dark, but there are also white ones. Her skills as a mother of chicks are very good. That is why they often use them as incubators, leaving them in the care of eggs that are very fragile, like those of the pheasant.
2. Two chickens that have separately hatched can share their chicks. In this way they are always taken care of.
3. Females usually weigh around 1 kilo, and are small in size.
   Some adult Japanese chickens are characterized by having a certain bluish tint on their face near the beak.
4. All chickens have 4 fingers and except the Japanese hen, which has 5.
5. Its legs are covered in feathers, making it look even more pompous.

Male characteristics

1. The male has a very peculiar singing and makes him more attractive with his constant fluttering while singing.
2. They have a medium reddish ridge with shades of blue.
3. The male weighs at most half a kilo more than the female.
4. Leadership is disputed among the males of the pack by fighting. This is their way of corroborating themselves as dominant cocks.
5. Fighting between cocks widens and rises vertically, to gain height and intimidate your opponent. At that moment, their feathers stand on end and their wings open.
6. The fight ends when one of them gets tired. As long as this does not happen, they continue to fight, rest and resume the fight again and again. This ritual can last even several days until a winner is lifted.

Care of the Japanese hen

This hen must be cared for from the moment of gestation. After 21 days of incubation we will see that the eggs begin to break. This is where you have to start taking care of the future hen.

The chicks, as they hatch from their eggs, already show their fragility. They are very wet, and their appearance does not change until about an hour after birth. Precisely it is the heat of the mother that dries the humidity of the feathers of the young and from this moment its development begins.

Its feathers also require proper care, keeping them free of moisture, so they always look fluffy. Some Japanese chickens have a prominent beard and in this case care must be taken that the feathers do not reach and irritate the eyes.

Due to their abundant plumage, it is quite possible that they will fill with lice in the neck area. For this reason, you should watch their crests: if their feathers close to the crest begin to disappear, it will be a sign that you have to start applying a special product against lice or other insects.

It is recommended to bathe them by hand and dry their plumage well. To do this, you can use a dog shampoo very diluted in water.

As for your immune system, caution is also recommended with certain doses of vitamin.