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A very unusual and relatively recently described breed of black chickens, Ayam Cemani, originated on the island of Java. It became known in the European world only in 1998, when the Dutch breeder Jan Steverink brought it there. However, it was described a little earlier: by Dutch settlers who came to Indonesia.
There is a reasonable suspicion that the Indonesian population has used these chickens for centuries for religious rites, considering them endowed with special properties. In Thailand they still believe that Ayam Tsemani are endowed with mystical powers. And the more pragmatic and less superstitious residents of Bali use roosters of this breed for cockfighting.
Version of origin
The Tsemani are descended directly from another breed of chicken - the Ayam Bekisar - which is a hybrid between the roosters of the Green Junglefowl and the females of the Bankivian Junglefowl. Perhaps there was a crossing of “green” roosters with domestic chickens, but in fact, domestic chicken is the same as bank chicken.
This is what the Ayam Bekisar hybrid looks like.
Its ancestor on the rooster side is the green junglefowl.
Ayam Tsemani are victims of a genetic mutation that gave them a rare disease: fibromelanosis. The activity of the dominant gene responsible for the production of the melanin enzyme in Ayam Tsemani chickens is increased 10 times.As a result, almost everything in these chickens is black, including meat and bones. Their blood is red.
The area of origin of Cemani is Temanggung District in Java. Ayam means "chicken" in Javanese and Tsemani means "all black". Thus, the literal translation of the breed name Ayam Tsemani means “black chicken”. Accordingly, there are many Ayam breeds in Java. Accordingly, the word “ayam” may be omitted from the name of the breed. But of all these breeds, only Ayam Tsemani are completely black chickens.
Sometimes you can read “s” as “k”, and then the name of the breed sounds like Kemani.
Today, black chickens are kept in Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, the USA and a little in Russia.
Description
Even in their homeland, black chickens of the Ayam Chemani breed are not classified as one of the productive areas. And in Europe they firmly occupy a place among decorative breeds.
Their egg production is even lower than that of meat breeds. In the first year, laying hens produce only 60-100 eggs. Considering the size of these chickens, the eggs are large. But since the concept of “large” in this case is tied not to the weight in grams, but to the size of the bird, it can be assumed that in fact the products of these laying hens weigh little. The exact data is not provided anywhere.
The meat characteristics of the Ayam Tsemani chicken breed, based on live weight, are also small. Roosters weigh 2-3 kg, laying hens 1.5-2 kg. But information comes across (apparently from breeders who ate the breed's culling) that the meat of these birds has a special taste and aroma.
Silk chickens are bred on an industrial scale and reproduce well. But only their skin is black. Even in this photo you can see the white meat showing through. A real carcass belonging to the Ayam Tsemani chicken breed is pictured below.
Real Ayam Chemani chickens are truly completely black. But it is unlikely that anyone will slaughter a bird for sale, the price of which even in its homeland reached up to 200 US dollars. And in the USA itself, at the dawn of its appearance, the price per copy reached up to $2,500. Unfortunately, taking into account the dominance of the mutated gene, you can only be sure that you have purchased a truly purebred Chemani by slaughtering a chicken. If not only the skin is black, but also the internal organs and bones, then it was a true Tsemani.
Favorite Internet Hoax
The mutation affected all areas of the body in Ayam Tsemani chickens and roosters, except two: the blood and the reproductive system. The blood remained red due to hemoglobin. And these chickens lay eggs of a beautiful beige color, contrary to the Photoshopped photographs found on the World Wide Web.
The photo shows the uneven black coating of the eggs. And below is a photo of the original Ayam Tsemani eggs.
Standard
The main requirement for Ayam Tsemani chickens and roosters is a completely black body. These chickens have everything black: comb, earrings, lobes, face, even the larynx. The black dense plumage casts a violet-green color in the sun.
The head is medium-sized with a straight leaf-shaped crest that is large for the size of the skull. The earrings are large and round. The beak is short. Chemani's eyes are also black.
Neck of medium size. The body is narrow, compact, trapezoidal in shape. The body is raised in front. The chest is round. The back is straight.The tail of chickens is directed at an angle of 30° to the horizontal. Rooster tails have a more vertical stance. Chemani's tails are bushy. The braids of roosters are long and well developed.
The wings fit tightly to the body. Having wild forms of chickens in their ancestors, these birds have a good ability to fly. The legs of chickens and roosters of the Ayam Tsemani breed are long, the feet have 4 toes.
Advantages and disadvantages
The only advantages of these birds include their exotic external and internal appearance. Everything else is pure shortcomings:
- high cost of eggs and chickens;
- low productivity;
- thermophilicity;
- lack of brooding instinct;
- low activity of roosters;
- timidity.
When keeping Chemani, you will have to thoroughly insulate the chicken coop and enter the room very carefully. Birds in panic can injure themselves.
Breeding
Tsemani laying hens have a very poorly developed brooding instinct. They are bad at laying eggs and hatching chicks even worse. This was one of the reasons for the extreme rarity of birds even in their homeland. Previously, there were no incubators, and collecting eggs in the jungle is a below-average pleasure.
Or, conversely, find a secluded place, lay eggs and throw them, instead of hatching chickens.
For purebred breeding, a group of 5 hens and 1 rooster is selected, while for other egg breeds the size of the rooster harem is 10-12 laying hens. The eggs are collected and placed in an incubator. Incubation requirements are the same as other breeds. In general, Chemani, except for color, is fundamentally no different from other chickens.
After 3 weeks of incubation, the beige eggs hatch into completely black chickens with a grayish breast.Later they become completely black.
Chicken survival rate is 95%. They are fed the same way as any others.
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With adults the situation is more complicated. The wild instincts of Ayam Tsemani chickens and roosters force them to seek salvation every time the owner visits the chicken coop. You need to enter the chicken coop very slowly and carefully so as not to scare the birds.
To roam, these birds require an aviary with a closed top. Otherwise, you will have to catch them in all the forests and fields.
In the chicken coop for this breed, you can equip quite high perches where they will spend the night.
The chickens and roosters of Ayam Tsemani are not able to withstand the Russian cold and for a safe winter the chicken coop must be insulated. It is better to carry out insulation from the outside, since all chickens have the habit of periodically “testing the wall.” If they find that there is something there that can be pecked, they are able to peck out the entire insulation. Since polystyrene foam or mineral wool usually serves as insulation, chickens can clog their stomach and die.
The minimum layer of litter in the chicken coop should be at least 10 cm. Gradually, by winter, the thickness of the litter is increased to 35 cm.
The diet of Ayam Tsemani does not differ from the diet of other breeds of chickens. To receive feeding in the summer, they need walking. A small, enclosed lawn with grass will be sufficient for these chickens.
Reviews
Conclusion
Descriptions and photos of chickens of the Ayam Tsemani breed arouse genuine interest not only among poultry farmers, but even just outside observers. It would be even more interesting to see these birds walking in the courtyard of a private house. But not many people can afford such luxury yet. Considering that Chemani are unlikely to ever move from the category of ornamental birds to productive ones, their number will never be too large. But, undoubtedly, over time there will be more breeders of this breed, and the price of hatching eggs will become more affordable.
