The key to achieving long feathers is excellent husbandry, especially with the males. Preferred cage is the Japanese style cabinet, know as a Tombaku. The traditional cabinet method houses a single male Longtail inside a small cabinet, only to be taken out once daily for exercise and hygiene care. It takes years of breeding and dedication to create a Longtail Chicken that can be called an Onagadori!
Tombaku Culture, the traditional Japanese husbandry art of cultivating the best potential from individual birds, seems as important as genetics in producing the classic breed and may be on its way to becoming a dying art.
Special Qualities: We often see photos of roosters tethered to a high perch allowing his tail to flow with minimal contact to the environment. Sometimes the tail is carefully rolled up and secured for protection.
Special housing and great care called “tombaku” is a must in cultivating such long feathers in the best possible condition. Tombaku protects feathering as well as discourages conditions that would trigger molting and encourages tail feather growth of 3’ per year. Saddle feathers should to be 1/3 the length of tail.
"With the Onagadori [long-tailed chicken] of Japan, the males are reared in tall, narrow, dark, restrictive boxes called tombaku. In these conditions the level of molting can be extended beyond what would be seen if the bird were on the ground, so that a bird that molts once in eighteen months on the ground may go from two to three years without molting when caged.
“When the non-molting factor is combined with tail growth factor, one can see incredible lengths of tails. The potential length can be figured as 3′ growth per year x the number of years the bird does not molt and remains in perpetual growth.”
– An Introduction to Form and Feathering of the Domestic Fowl, by Brian Reeder, 2011
We have used this style of tall wooden cage (photo) for our males with very good success, however they hold-up best under a roof and out of the elements and must be modified for a high short-stub perch. They are available online, approximately $150.
Hens can be caged together, as long as they have ample room and nest boxes. Hens will pick on each other and can gang up on a week one, so constant monitoring is important. We have had good success with two Hens per cage.