Satsumadori

The Satsumadori is a Japanese breed of chicken. It originated in Kagoshima Prefecture, in the southernmost part of the island of Kyushu in southern Japan, and was originally bred for cockfighting.[6] The name derives from that of the former province of Satsuma, now the western part of Kagoshima Prefecture.[7]

Satsumadori

Conservation status	not at risk[1]^:88
Other names	Kagoshima Game Satsuma-Dori
Country of origin	Japan
Use	Originally bred for cockfighting
Traits
Weight	Male: 3.375 kg[2]^:99 Female: 2.625 kg[2]^:99
Egg colour	White or tinted
Comb type	triple in cocks
Classification
APA	no[3]
EE	yes[4]
PCGB	yes[5]^:260
Chicken Gallus gallus domesticus

History

The Satsumadori originated in Kagoshima Prefecture, in the southernmost part of the island of Kyushu in southern Japan, and was originally bred for cockfighting with steel spurs.[6] It was designated a Natural Monument of Japan in 1943, one of seventeen breeds which have this status.[8] In 1999 the total number of breeding stock was 305 birds;[1]^:101 the conservation status was assessed as "not at risk".[1]^:82

Characteristics

The Satsumadori is bred in many colour variants. The traditional Japanese colours are: akasasa, roughly "red-hackled"; kinsasa, "golden-hackled"; kisasa, "yellow-hackled"; shirosasa, "white-hackled"; soukoku, black; and taihaku, white.[7] In the United Kingdom it may be white, silver duckwing, gold duckwing, black or black-red;[5]^:260 the first three of these are recognised by the Entente Européenne, while the last is not listed.[4]

Standard weights are 3.375 kg (7.4 lb) for cock birds and 2.625 kg (5.8 lb) for hens.[2]^:99 The comb is triple in cocks, and small or non-existent in hens.[5]^:260 Comb, face, ear-lobes and wattles are vivid red, and the eyes are gold or silver; wattles and ear-lobes may be small or entirely absent. The beak and legs are yellow, but may be darker in the black variant. Cock birds have an upright stance; the tail fans out laterally, and is held above the horizontal.[5]^:260

Use

The Satsumadori was bred as a game bird for steel-spur cock-fighting, in which blades were attached to the legs in the area of the spur. This type of cock-fighting is no longer legal in Japan. The Satsumadori is kept for fancy.[2]^:99

References

1. [Editorial Committee Office of the Japanese Country Report, Animal Genetic Resources Laboratory, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan] ([n.d.]). Country Report (For FAO State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources Process); annex to: Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (editors) (2007). The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed September 2018.
2. Masaoki Tsudzuki (2003). Japanese native chickens. In: Hsiu-Luan Chang, Yu-chia Huang (editors) (2003). The Relationship between Indigenous Animals and Humans in APEC Region. Taipei: Chinese Society of Animal Science. Pages 91-116.
3. APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.
4. Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
5. Victoria Roberts (2008). British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 9781405156424.
6. "Satsumadori". The Poultry Club of Great Britain.
7. Wanda Zwart (August 2009). Satsumadori. Aviculture Europe 5 (4), article 3. Accessed June 2019.
8. Masaoki Tsuzuki (2003). Japanese Native Chickens - Saving the Earth through their Diversity!: The Foundation of the Japanese Avian Bioresource Project Research Center. Research NOW (27). Hiroshima University. Retrieved 16 April 2019.