How long do Japanese bantams live?
Japanese bantam chickens can live as long as 13 years.
My Japanese bantams live an average of 6 to 8 years with the longest lived of mine being 11 years old.
Japanese bantams are not prolific egg layers and as a result do not suffer the stress associated with being hugely productive.
Factors affecting the longevity of Japanese bantams:
- Temperature of the environment. Too hot or too cold can affect their lifespan.
- Food and nutrition quality. Japanese bantams do better on smaller pellets.
- Birds that are kept free range live longer happier lives.
- A covered run. Being so small, the Japanese bantam is susceptible to all aerial predators.
- Quality of care. Regular treatment for mites, parasites and coccidiosis.
- Type of feathers. Frizzle feathered types of Japanese bantam need to be kept warm.
Here in the United Kingdom we have relatively mild if quite wet weather. Extremes of very hot or cold weather will kill Japanese bantams quickly, they have a large comb for their size and tend to suffer in bad weather.
Below: Many factors affect the longevity of Japanese bantams. This one with frizzle feathering can not live outdoors in winter.
