Ayam Tsemani is the most exotic and most mysterious chicken breed in the world. The uniqueness of this bird is in its absolute blackness. We will find out where this breed came from, how to breed it, and whether it is profitable to grow it.
Historical information about the breed
This unusual, blue-black hen is the oldest domesticated bird. Scientists believe that people were engaged in her breeding several thousand years ago. The homeland of black chickens is the Indonesian islands, and even a specific island is called Middle Java. It is believed that Ayam Tsemani first appeared on the outskirts of the town of Solo.
It is assumed that Ayam Tsemani appeared as a result of crossing jungle chickens - domestic or bank, with roosters of green jungle chickens. There is also a possibility that there is no pure Ayam Tsemani breed, all its representatives are half-breeds.
The Tsemani owe their total blackness to a genetic mutation due to which they became victims of fibromelanosis. The dominant gene responsible for the production of the enzyme melanin is 10 times more active in black chickens.
Bird exterior
Today, there is no single standard description of the breed in its original form. Information about the origin and exterior is passed down from generation to generation by the inhabitants of Indonesia. The main difference between the breed, which makes it unique, is the absolutely black color. Moreover, these chickens have black not only plumage, but also all other parts of the body - eyes, skin, legs, beak, crest, earrings.
Individuals that have at least a little light color are not allowed to breed - so as not to spoil the "blackness" of the breed.
The main signs of the exterior:
- the head is small;
- the body is compact, trapezoidal;
- eyes are small, black;
- crest - straight, leaf-shaped, serrated;
- shortened beak, black, with a thickening at the end;
- round or oval earrings;
- face and lobes are black;
- neck of medium length;
- chest - slightly protruding;
- legs are long, with four spread fingers;
- the wings are close to the body, slightly raised;
- the tail of roosters with strongly elongated braids, the tail of chickens is more modest, but also quite luxurious.
In Java, when reading "ayam cemani", the sound "s" is heard as "h", so there is a double spelling of the second component of the name of the breed - "cemani" or "chemani".
Popular breed myths
Ayam Tsemani black chickens are very rare. It is very difficult to find them in Russia, and they are fabulously expensive. Unsurprisingly, this strange breed is shrouded in myth. In Indonesia, Ayam Tsemani is endowed with mystical properties. They are sacrificed here to increase the birth rate. Among the local population, these birds are also considered a symbol of good luck.
Ayam Tsemani has not everything black, as many "experts" claim. First, they have red blood due to hemoglobin. Secondly, eggs. There are many photos of Ayam Tsemani's black eggs on the Internet - this is a hoax. In fact, these chickens have bright eggs, both outside and inside.
Black chicken carcasses are rare, but if you find one on the shelves, they are probably Chinese silk chickens. They, unlike the Indonesian Tsemanis, have only black skin, and meat, bones and internal organs are ordinary.
Spread
For the first time, Europeans met black chickens in the 20s of the 20th century - at that time immigrants from Holland began to study them. And black chickens came to Europe only in 1998, they were brought here by one Dutch breeder.
The breed is rare; today it can be found among farmers in Holland, Slovakia, Germany, Czech Republic, Belarus, Ukraine, USA, Great Britain and quite a bit in Russia.
Productivity and egg production
A good laying hen lays about 200-250 eggs per year, chickens from Indonesia - no more than a hundred. Black chickens lay cream or light brown eggs. The eggs of black hens taste the same as those of regular layers. Yolk and albumen are traditional colors. But the meat of Indonesian chickens is black, while it is tasty and tender, there is little fat in it, and it is equated to dietary. This breed even has black bones and internal organs.
To obtain maximum egg production, it is recommended to add a vitamin and mineral supplement to the forage for layers, for example, "Ryabushka".
Ayam Tsemani productivity indicators:
Index | Value |
Egg production, eggs per year | 100 |
Weight of one egg, g | 45-50 |
Chicken weight, kg | 1,5- 2 |
Rooster weight, kg | 2-2,5 |
Egg production peaks in the first year of laying, then the number of laid eggs decreases. The taste of meat deteriorates by the 4th year of the bird's life.
The survival rate of young animals is 95%. Given the high cost of the breed, this indicator is especially important for breeders.
Characteristics of Ayam Tsemani
Indonesian nigella is not particularly productive, breeding them is costly and responsible. Features of the breed, which you should also know about:
- Slow weight gain. It is believed that it is the long growth that is responsible for the quality characteristics of the meat.
- There is no tendency to obesity.
- The first clutch is at 6-8 months.
- The ability of roosters to breed is 10 months.
Advantages and disadvantages
Usually in chickens they value economic benefits - meat and egg productivity, the ability to incubate eggs. Ayam Tsemani appreciates the bird itself, its exterior and the purity of the breed. Appearance is the main advantage of this breed.
There are no analogues of the Indonesian chicken in the world. This explains the incredible cost of black chickens - only rich poultry farmers and collectors of rare breeds can buy such birds.
In addition to the unique appearance, Ayam Tsemani has other advantages:
- delicious meat, delicious, tender and also black;
- hens take good care of chickens;
- good immunity.
Disadvantages:
- low egg production;
- chickens have poorly developed hatching instinct;
- mistrust and lack of contact;
- poorly tolerate cold;
- special conditions - a warm chicken coop and a walk, fenced on all sides.
Content recommendations
Ayam Tsemani comes from warm places, so the main problem when breeding them is cold winters. For birds to be healthy and productive, they need a warm and comfortable chicken coop, as well as a proper diet.
Conditions of detention
Ayam Tsemani chickens belong to capricious "breeds. They are very thermophilic and demanding of their content:
- Temperature conditions. Tsemani do not tolerate sub-zero temperatures well, so the main condition for their maintenance is to maintain heat in the chicken coop. When cold weather sets in, chickens are not allowed out into the street. The room temperature must not drop below +15 ° C.
- Air mode. Chickens need fresh air, so the room should be well ventilated but free from drafts.
- Psychological climate. Black chickens are shy; there should be no sharp extraneous noises near their home. You should also go to them very carefully - so as not to scare. Chickens can injure themselves when trying to escape.
- Lighting. For 20 sq. m. area enough lamp 40 watts. Or an energy-saving lamp of equivalent power indicated. Bright light is not needed - it promotes bird aggression. To extend the period of egg production, the chicken coop is illuminated in winter for 12-14 hours.
- Neighborhood. Ayam Tsemani should not contact birds of other species - they are unfriendly and a conflict may arise that will end fatally for expensive birds.
Young and adult birds Ayam Tsemani are kept separately. To prevent adult birds from fighting, use glasses or a ring in their beak. The goggles do not allow chickens to "aim" to strike, and the ring prevents the beak from closing for a full blow. But these devices have drawbacks - chickens can drop glasses, and the ring injures the beak.
What should be the chicken coop?
Any room, shed or poultry house can be used as a chicken coop. If there is no suitable room, they build an ordinary shed of stone or timber. The walls are ordinary, the height is 2.5 m.
They choose a sunny place - Tsemani love warmth. In the southern regions, the chicken coop is placed so that in the summer it is in shade. The roof is built so that there is no threat of collapse under the weight of snow. For southern regions, it is important that the roof protects the birds from the heat. Polycarbonate can be used as roofing material.
Chicken coop requirements:
- A separate section is equipped for each chicken family. The poultry house is divided into sections using an ordinary chain-link mesh so that air circulates well in the room.
- They build a barn in a dry place not flooded by flood and groundwater. Otherwise, the structure is placed on the foundation, having previously drained the soil.
- The chicken coop must be insulated. The floor and walls are insulated with mineral wool or foam. The slots are closed, a layer of heat-insulating material is placed on the floor - at least 15 cm. You can use straw or peat. In winter, the hen house is heated - electric heaters are installed or heating is provided in advance.
- In the hen house, perches are arranged at a distance of 1.5-2 m from the floor.
- In chicken coops built in the southern regions, the doors are made double - some are solid, the second - mesh. The solid one is closed in winter, and the mesh door improves ventilation in summer.
- The 1-family house includes one rooster and 19 hens.
- The windows of the hen house should face south - to increase daylight hours, doors - to the east or west, so that northerly winds do not blow in them.
- In the northern regions, chicken coops are equipped with forced ventilation to turn it off during extreme cold weather.
- For nesting, boxes with a size of 30x50x20 cm are built. The bottom of the box is lined with hay or straw. Sawdust is not suitable - they will "spread" on the sides, and eggs can be damaged on bare boards.
- The perches are made from a round bar d = 5 cm. The wood must be dried and without cracks, otherwise parasites will start in it. The best material for roosting is oak or aspen.
- Feeders are made of a bunker or groove type - so that the chickens do not scatter feed. The feed holes are made so that the bird cannot climb into the feed with its feet. You will learn how to make a feeder yourself from this article.
- Drinking bowls are made nipple, in such closed containers the water is always clean and fresh. If you want to make your own drinking bowls, then read this article.
A pen will be equipped next to the chicken coop. Zemani fly well, so the height of the fence is at least 2 m. It is not necessary to sow the grass, the chickens will quickly eliminate it anyway. Better to sprinkle the ground with fine gravel, and give the greens along with the feed.
Drinking bowls, feeders, baths with sand and ash are placed in the aviary, and a shed is also equipped so that the birds can hide from the weather.
Can you build it yourself?
Black chickens spend most of their time in the chicken coop, so it should be comfortable for both bird life and service. Build it at the rate of 2 individuals per 1 sq. m.
How to build a chicken coop:
- Foundation. For a small shed, the foundation is not necessary - it is enough to dig in a metal curbstone around the perimeter - to protect it from undermining. A capital building is being built for a large herd. The best foundation option is columnar.
- Floor. Better to do double floors - to keep it warmer. A rough floor is laid on the foundation. There is sawdust between the elements of the crate. On top, on the rough floor, they put insulation, for example, mineral wool. Then the main floor is nailed down. Planks are taken even so that there are no cracks and holes through which cold air will penetrate.
- Walls. Height - 1.8-2.5 m. The best option is wooden beams. They are knocked down with nails or screws. The bars are hammered on both sides with boards. Insulating material is laid between the boards and beams. The walls are painted to protect against insects and weather.
- Roof. You can make a roof with two slopes and an attic space. In the attic, you can store inventory and food. First, a flooring is made, on which a heat insulator is placed - for example, expanded clay or slag. Then they put roofing material, slate or other roofing material on it.
- Aviary. Its area should be twice the area of the chicken coop. The floor of the aviary is earthen so that the chickens can look for insects.
- Arrangement of the chicken coop. Each bird is perched 30 cm. The perches should not be placed one above the other. To make it easier to clean, trays are placed under the perches.
What and how to feed Ayam Tsemani?
Black Indonesian chickens do not require special nutrition, they eat any food and do not suffer without their specific food. Features of feeding Ayam Tsemani:
- The basis of the feed can be grain, or industrial compound feed, which includes wheat, corn and other cereals. Correctly selected compound feed is the key to high egg production.
- To obtain tasty and juicy meat, the bird is fed with meat waste and insects.
- They give wet mash, flavored with vitamin and mineral supplements. As the latter, shell and crushed eggshells are used - they are also necessary for the prevention of blockage of the goiter. The mash can be made with meat and fish broths.
- Fish oil is introduced into the feed. It has a positive effect on the beauty of plumage and overall health.
- In the cold season, when greens are in short supply, chickens are given grass flour, hay, silage, pulp and vegetables are added to warm mash. Chickens are also fed with sprouted grains. Yeast and bran are added to the mash.
Breeding "Indonesians"
To get "purebred" Ayam Tsemani, the family is kept separately from other breeds. The "wild" gene in the "Indonesian" pedigree had a beneficial effect on the fertility of birds.
Subtleties of pairing
Chickens and roosters are taken from unrelated families. It is better that the birds come from different farms. If two roosters are bought, then the manufacturer is changed for the next year. The ideal sex ratio is 5 chickens per rooster.
The high fertility was inherited from the wild green jungle hen. Fertilization of eggs in "Indonesian" is almost 100%.
Incubation period
Females have an instinct for incubation, but it is not their obligatory quality. To hatch or sit out, you have to use an incubator. It is not known whether the hen will hatch eggs to the end, if she refuses to hatch, it will be necessary to urgently save the clutch, so it is better to prepare an incubator in advance.
Incubation lasts 21 days. Temperature - + 37.8 ° С. If you raise it, then the chickens will hatch ahead of time - this should not be allowed. If the incubator does not provide for automatic turning of eggs, you have to turn them manually every 2 hours - a very dreary and responsible business. Turning over is stopped only two days before the chicks hatch. In this case, the temperature is lowered to + 37.5 ° C.
We recommend reading an article about the features of incubating chicken eggs at home.
Offspring care
Newborn chickens are black, squeaky, with short down. They have strong immunity from birth. The survival rate is 95-100%. So that the chicks do not get sick and grow well, it is important to organize favorable conditions for them:
- The first two weeks the temperature is maintained at + 28- + 30 ° C. Then the temperature is gradually reduced to room level.
- When the chickens grow up, they are transferred to a separate windproof enclosure. Young animals cannot be kept together with adult birds, among them there may be aggressive individuals that will kill young offspring. Young birds are placed with adult birds at the age of two months.
Nutrition from the first days to growing up
Feeding features:
- The chickens are given starter feed - ordinary millet with eggs is not enough for them. A chopped egg is added to the compound feed. Dry food is left freely available.
- In the first week, chickens are fed with cottage cheese with a fat content of up to 15%. Also give chopped corn grits and greens.
- Vitamins are given to each chicken - dripping into the beak.
- From one month of age, the chickens are completely transferred to balanced feed - they are selected according to age. Food is taken with a high protein content. The diet should also contain - herbal flour, root vegetables, mineral supplements. Maggots are recommended.
- Water is given boiled in special drinking bowls. In addition to water, the chicks are given a glucose solution and weakly brewed tea.
Planned herd replacement
Black chickens are often purchased for decorative purposes, in this case there is no need to rush to replace the livestock - the birds can live safely and decorate the poultry yard for a long time.
In theory, the breeding stock is replaced annually. Birds are selected for breeding and a new flock is formed. Birds that are not suitable for breeding are sold or slaughtered. With the Ayam Tsemani breed, it is not possible to carry out a planned replacement due to the rarity of the breed. And then the degeneration of the breed becomes inevitable.
In order to postpone degeneration as much as possible, the old layers are left, and the strictest selection is carried out among the young. If you try very hard, you can avoid inbreeding (family ties) - but then out of 10 chickens you will have to select no more than one pullet.
Diseases
The breed is not painful. The main enemies of black chickens are parasites. Also, birds can suffer from non-communicable diseases that cause inflammation of the ovaries and oviducts. The causes of such diseases can be a lack of vitamins, unsanitary conditions in the chicken coop, or poor-quality, moldy food.
Symptoms and treatment of diseases in Tsemani chickens:
Diseases | Features: | Symptoms | How is it treated? |
Aymeriosis | It is called the simplest - eimeria. Chickens can become infected with them immediately after birth, and the diagnosis is made at 10-15 days. | No appetite, thirst, weight loss, ruffled feathers, diarrhea - first white-green, then dark brown. | For treatment and prevention, chickens are given antibiotics - coccidiostatics. Probiotics are given in parallel. |
Marek's disease | Incubation is 2 to 15 weeks. With eye damage - blindness. The older the bird, the more likely it is to be hit. | First - an unsteady gait, anxiety. Conjunctivitis affecting one eye. Tumors appear on the internal organs. Paralysis of the limbs. | There is no treatment, vaccination is needed. It is carried out to day old chickens. The second vaccination - at 10 days of age, the third - after 3 weeks. |
Disease prevention:
- Use of special drinkers - so that dirt does not get into the feed and water.
- Regular cleaning and disinfection of the chicken coop and equipment.
- Avoiding crampedness, dampness, malnutrition.
Tsemani chickens are not afraid of many dangerous viruses, for example, they do not get bird flu.
Bird value and marketing
Ayam Tsemani is not considered a productive breed. It is not profitable to grow it for meat or eggs - this bird is too expensive, and its breeding is also fraught with difficulties. Elite eggs of black hens cost at least 12 euros, the price of a bird can go up to 2500 dollars.
Today, only the richest farmers can breed Tsemani chickens, there is no great demand for such expensive chickens - this rare bird will only interest exotic lovers.
Experts say that it is almost impossible to find a purebred Ayam Tsemani - the market offers half-breeds that inherited black color from the "Indonesians".
Reviews of the breed
Petr N., amateur poultry farmer, 46 years old, Pyatigorsk. Seeing photos of Indonesian chickens, I immediately wanted to buy them. The breeder was found in the Czech Republic and brought 10 eggs from there. Of these, 5 chickens and 2 roosters hatched. The three eggs were chatterboxes. I keep one rooster to create crosses, the second I try to use for breeding the breed. Slaughtering the hand does not rise - such an expensive bird, but it is very interesting to try black meat.
Olga G., amateur poultry breeder, 55 years old, Lipetsk region. Roosters of this breed are pugnacious to the point of impossibility, you cannot keep them by two. And all chickens are very shy, they don't get used to humans. I bought eggs from a breeder in St. Petersburg, and he - from a supplier from Slovakia. The eggs were all fertilized, 9 out of 10 chicks hatched.
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Today it is too early to talk about large-scale cultivation of Ayam Tsemani for meat or eggs. This breed is too rare and expensive. Prevents breeding of these birds and their exceptional thermophilicity. Perhaps Russian poultry farmers will breed their own breed of nigella by crossing Indonesian chickens with local layers. And today black "Indonesians" are used mainly as an expensive and exotic decoration of the yard.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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