Shoukoku

Shoukoku, often romanized as Shokoku, is a traditional Japanese ornamental chicken with old Chinese ancestry and a close connection to Japan's long-tailed fowl culture. It has a slim, upright body, active carriage, flowing sickle feathers, and a pheasant-like look rather than the blocky build of utility breeds. Shoukoku has influenced or been associated with other Japanese breeds, including long-tailed and long-crowing lines, and appears in several color varieties such as white, black, silver duckwing, and gold duckwing depending on the standard.

Most Shoukoku are kept by exhibition breeders and preservation flocks, not for heavy egg or meat production. Their long tails and active nature call for roomy, dry pens, safe perches, and clean footing so feathers are not constantly broken or soiled. Birds may be alert and flighty compared with heavier backyard hens, so calm handling and secure fencing are useful. When sourcing stock, the spelling and standard used by the breeder matter because Shoukoku is rare outside specialist poultry circles.

Colors: Barred, Birchen, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Columbian, Crele, Cuckoo, Duckwing, Gold, Gold Laced, Laced, Lavender, Mille Fleur, Mottled, Partridge, Penciled, Porcelain, Red, Silver, Silver Laced, Spangled, Splash, Wheaten, White