

Two unreproductive higejidori. And higejidori nabe - another contributing factor to extinction
Yomiuri: Sado's rare chicken faces extinction
A rare species of chicken on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture is on the brink of extinction, with inbreeding blamed for a low-hatching rate...The Sado higejidori chickens, which feature a distinctive beard, date back to the Edo period (1603-1868). The privately run museum was given four of the chickens in 1982 and since then has successfully bred about 50 chickens. But in the last few years, the hatching rate of the chickens has fallen as low as 10 percent. This spring, only three chicks were hatched from 26 eggs...According to the museum, inbreeding can be blamed for the low hatching rate.