Exotic hens with anthracite-black skin and feathers, beak and crest of the color of coal dust. These unusual birds belong to the Aemi Chemani breed. In the article below, you will get acquainted with this breed of chickens, its characteristics and learn how to care for exotic birds and engage in their breeding.
History and origin of the breed
The origin of the Ayam cemani chickens is rather vague. Authoritative sources indicate Sumatra as their homeland, where the original breed has now become extinct. Ayam Chemani is often associated with a group of hens of the breed known as Javanese kedu.
It is believed that the branch of Ayam Chemani originated from the breed of chickens Ayam Bekisar, found on a small group of islands in Indonesia and wild green chickens from the jungle. The breed was first introduced to Europe in 1998 by a Dutchman named Jan Steverink. Ayam chemani are one of the most expensive chickens in the world, the cost of one bird often reaches $ 2,500.
The name of the breed has two meanings: Ayam in Indonesian means “chicken”, but the addition of Cemani can mean both “Chemani village” in the local dialect, and “solid black” in Sanskrit.
Did you know? Ayam Chemani roosters have very loud and distinct voices; they have long been used by Indonesian sailors as a voice landmark in the fog. Boats were sent to the cock cry in the fog, which eventually safely reached land. This method is still practiced in Indonesia.
Description of Ayam Chemani
Chickens ayam chemani are earthen birds who like to tear themselves off the ground at night. The composition of the natural group includes a dominant rooster, one or more especially close hens, one or more subordinate roosters and young females. In the natural environment, these birds prefer to live in small herds, numbering no more than 20 animals.
These are absolutely black hens - inside and out, with black feathers, beak, legs, scallop, bones and skin. Such a gloomy appearance became the reason that the Indonesian shamans use champagne in their rites. Ayam Chemani is a very spectacular bird, its coal-black feathers are cast with greenery and violet in the sun.The bird is not too large: roosters weigh about 1.8–2.7 kg and hens weigh 1.3–1.8 kg, so the bulk of the birds is of medium size. Outwardly, the hens are strong and muscular, with feathers well-fitting to their bodies, they are always on their guard, a confident and fighting pose. Chemani blood is red, but much darker than other breeds, although the bones and brains of birds are black.
Today, this bird is quite rare, and it is very difficult to buy anywhere except Indonesia. The farm of breeders of the Ayam Chemani chicken breed in the USA has pre-orders for the young of this bird until 2019.
Photo gallery
Appearance characteristic
While the ayam Chemani breed is not recognized by the American Poultry Association, work is currently underway in the United States on an elite standard for the breed. There is a Dutch current standard for this breed.
Description of the breed, according to the Dutch standard:
Part of the body | Characteristics |
Body | Medium muscular |
Head | Small neat |
Comb and catkins | Black oval or round earrings, black scalloped scallop |
Beak | Shortened black |
Chest | A wide chest and a medium-sized back, into which the neck smoothly passes |
Leather | Completely black |
Bones, brain and internal organs | Black color |
Stomach | Pulled up |
Wings | Wings are long and strong |
Tail | The tail is kept in a moderately high position, in males with long, lush feathers |
Paws, hips | The bird has 4 toes on each leg, the hips are powerful and muscular |
Feather cover | The feathers are all black and fit snugly to the body. In sunlight, feathers can shimmer from green to purple. |
Rack | The bird usually stands upright, wary |
Chickens ayam chemani, as a rule, are good hens and touchingly take care of their chicks.
This breed has no particular health problems, unless fibromelanosis is worth mentioning. The bird has a mutant gene that causes hyperpigmentation and helps to postpone excess black pigment.This increased accumulation of melanin makes the skin and body tissues black. This genetic trait, in addition to ayam chemani, is inherent in only three other breeds of chickens - Chinese silky, Swedish black and kadaknath (Indian black).
In all other aspects, ayam chemani is a healthy and strong bird, not prone to any particular chicken disease.
Did you know? Chickens maintain a stable posture thanks to four toes, which are arranged like this: three of them look forward, and one is turned 90 degrees relative to them and "looks" back.
Character
Chemani are cute and friendly birds. They are smart, obedient and easily tamed, including roosters. Ayam Chemani easily adapt to life in countries with harsh winters when they are provided with warm housing. They feel especially good in countries with hot climates.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like any other breed, Chemi have pros and cons. They are as follows:
- pros
- Tasty meat;
- bright, exotic appearance;
- care of the hens in relation to the offspring;
- disease resistance.
- Minuses
- Extremely high cost of each individual (from 500 to 2500 dollars);
- need a very warm chicken coop for the winter;
- weak egg production.
Features of care and maintenance
Ayam chemani are physically active birds that spend most of their day looking for food - they claw and beak in search of grain, seeds of plants, overripe fruits, berries, insects and worms. They also eat a lot of fresh grass, rich in calcium and vitamins.This breed needs adequate lighting and warmth. In the cold season, a warm chicken coop is needed, the temperature in which will not fall below +10 ° C, constant access to warm water for drinking and food.
Arrangement of a chicken coop
When arranging a home for chickens, it is necessary to consider such factors:
- provision of one square meter of space for 3-4 birds;
- the arrangement of the premises with two types of feeders for wet feed (mash mash) and dry feed;
- the presence in the room of at least one drinking bowl, ideally two;
- the device of comfortable perches for sleeping;
- the presence of convenient and affordable nests for laying hens, from the calculation - one nest for 3-4 hens;
- plus temperature in the chicken coop (not lower than +7 ... + 10 ° C) in the cold season;
- a container with small stones and chalk, the eating of which contributes to the digestion of chickens and makes up for the lack of calcium in the body;
- availability of space for street walking and free access to it;
- room equipment with light bulbs (in winter at least 8 hours a day).
Summer paddock
Walking in the fresh air is very important for chickens, they bask in the sun and take dust baths. Dust cleans mites of feathers. Chickens require a full spectrum of natural sunlight to provide the body with vitamin D and enhance overall health.
Walking Requirements:
- Fence - the territory for walking the birds should be fenced or fenced, the fence is necessary for protection from predators, it will also not allow birds to get outside the area allocated to them and harm the flower bed or garden beds. Pets are often hunted by animals such as weasels, foxes, raccoons, possums, owls, hawks, dogs, and sometimes cats prey on small chickens.
- Shadow - on a street pasture, chickens need access to cool, shaded places to be able to avoid overheating. At temperatures above +26 ° C and the inability to hide in the shade, chickens receive heat stress, which can lead to their death.
- Natural light - Aya Chemani should not be forced to live under continuous artificial light, this damages their immune system, color perception and the ability to transport calcium through cell membranes.
Nests and perches
Laying nests:
- For every 4-5 layers, one nest is provided.
- The size of the nest should be approximately 1.5 times larger than the average size of the chicken body (this characteristic depends on the breed of birds).
- As nests, wooden boxes with an open side wall or baskets are used; they are filled with soft materials (straw, sawdust, hay).
- The location of the nests from the boxes can be tiered (up to three tiers), one above the other. In this case, small take-off platforms are made near the boxes on each tier or a ladder is installed from the floor and the nest.
- Above the upper nest, it is best to build an inclined roof, the inconvenient slope of which will keep the birds from spending the night on them. This is necessary so that the droppings falling from above do not contaminate the eggs.
Perch Requirements:
- Perches are made in the form of wide wooden stairs, with a distance between the "steps" of 25-35 cm.
- The diameter of the cross-section of poles for perches should be at least 4-5 cm, this is important for reliable grip.
- A perch is built far enough from the wall, at a distance of 30-35 cm, so that it would be convenient for the birds to sit on it without touching the wall with their tails.
- When constructing a roost, it is taken into account that for each chicken, a landing space of 20-25 cm is necessary.
- The first stage of the perch is located at a height of at least 1 meter from the floor, this will ensure the absence of cold air in this zone in winter.
- For the convenience of cleaning the litter, during the construction, the roost is attached (top) to the wall on moving hinges. When cleaning, the roost is temporarily lifted and fixed vertically on the wall with a special hook. Chicken droppings must be perched daily.
Feeding troughs and drinking bowls
Ayam Chemani should always have plenty of fresh, clean water and food. The food is served in clean, dry, inaccessible to rodents feeders.
Feeders:
- their number depends on the size of the herd — approximately one feeding trough for 10-12 heads;
- location - they are attached to the walls or to a special structure in the middle of the chicken coop;
- material - wood, plastic, metal;
- design requirements - the feed inside should not be accessible for raking with chicken paws (covering frequent grill, narrow openings).
Drinking bowl:
- design requirements - resistance to turning over;
- the structure is fixed on any of the walls of the chicken coop;
- free access of birds to water is provided at any time of the day.
Ventilation
If you do not take care of good ventilation in the chicken coop, the air inside can become moist and offensive. In addition to creating unpleasant odors in the courtyard of the house, this stagnant air can also contribute to the emergence of diseases in chickens. These problems can be prevented if, during the construction of the chicken house, ventilation holes are provided along the ceiling or small opening windows are located along the east or south side of the structure.
Important! Chickens do not chew food, they swallow it whole, and to facilitate the process of digestion, peck small pebbles so that it grinds the contents of the stomach. In winter, in the chicken coop, not having access to the street, birds should have free access to the tank, which contains sand, small pebbles, crushed crushed shells.
Diet
These exotic birds eat exactly the same as the usual chickens:
- grain that has previously been germinated;
- compound feed consisting of corn, barley and wheat in various proportions;
- flour from needles and grass, a mash of grated vegetables;
- crushed egg shells, crushed chalk and shells;
- steamed bran;
- yeast;
- small pebbles and coarse river sand to improve the digestive tract;
- kitchen waste, insects and worms.
Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms
Fat soluble vitamins | |
Vitamin A | Decreased egg production, weakness and lack of growth |
Vitamin D | Fine-cracked eggs, reduced egg production, slow growth, rickets |
Vitamin E | Enlarged knee joints, encephalomalacia (chickens disease) |
Vitamin K | Prolonged blood coagulation, intramuscular bleeding |
Water soluble vitamins | |
Thiamine (B1) | Loss of appetite and death |
Riboflavin (B2) | Thumb paralysis, poor growth and low egg production |
Pantothenic acid | Dermatitis, ulcers on the beak and legs |
Niacin | Falling to the feet, inflammation of the tongue and oral cavity |
Choline | Poor growth, obesity in the liver, decreased egg production |
Vitamin B12 | Anemia, poor growth, fetal mortality |
Folic acid | Poor growth, anemia, poor plumage and poor egg production |
Biotin | Dermatitis on the legs, around the eyes and beak |
Providing the body with minerals is also very important for the bird, their lack can cause significant damage to health. Below are the necessary minerals and the consequences of their lack in the body for domestic chickens.
Healthy minerals | |
Calcium | Poor quality eggshells and poor hatchability, rickets |
Phosphorus | Rickets, fragile eggshell, low hatchability |
Magnesium | Sudden death |
Manganese | Perosis, poor hatchability |
Iron | Anemia |
Copper | Anemia |
Iodine | Goiter |
Zinc | Bad plumage, brittle bones |
Cobalt | Slow growth, high mortality, decreased hatchability |
As indicated above, a lack of vitamins and minerals can cause numerous health problems in chickens, in some cases leading to their death. To prevent this, a balanced diet rich in essential vitamins and minerals should be prepared for pets.
Did you know? In nature, chickens begin to feed before dawn. Having infrared-sensitive eyes, they distinguish between daylight almost an hour before it becomes accessible to the human eye.
Herd replacement planned
If the birds are kept for meat, then taking into account the fact that after 3 years of life their meat becomes stiff, slaughter should occur when ayam chemani reaches the age of about one year. By this time, the bird is gaining maximum weight, the meat is young and tender.
In order for the number of adult birds in the herd to remain at about the same level, bird owners need to take care of this in advance. If it is planned to slaughter up to 10 individuals for meat next year, then already this year to plant a brood egg on eggs to get young animals.
Chickens that have reached the age of one year and are not intended for laying eggs are killed. On an ongoing basis, only a rooster and 5-6 laying hens remain.
Shedding and age problems
The first and most common reason why ayam chemi lose their feathers is the annual molt.
Shedding is a period when a chicken sheds its old feathers and builds up new ones. This usually occurs in the fall, at the end of the laying season, and is closely associated with a decrease in daylight hours. First, hens lose feathers on their neck, then molt spreads to the back, then to the chest, and the tail feathers fall out last.
In addition to falling feathers, the comb partially loses its color, from bright red it becomes faded.Typical molting lasts about 6 weeks, but older birds molt much more slowly, it can take up to 10-12 weeks for them.
Important! If the owners want to breed purebred “Indonesians”, then the Ayam Chemani chicken family is best kept in isolation from the other inhabitants of the chicken coop. This will guarantee that the chickens are purebred.
During molting, the laying of hens will decrease significantly or stop altogether. The reason is that for the production of eggs you need a lot of protein, which is also required in the process of building up new plumage. Birds do not have enough protein to simultaneously build feathers and produce eggs.
Age
Birds are slaughtered after they reach 8-12 months, when they gain sufficient body weight. After three years of life, their meat becomes stiff, it must be cooked until completely soft for several hours.
After 5 years of life, laying hens reduce the rate of egg production, and they must be replaced with younger chickens.
How to raise chickens?
In order to grow all the hatched black chickens without loss, it is advisable to observe the correct temperature regime and adhere to the diet recommended by veterinarians.
Proper feeding
To grow chickens without loss:
- In the first week of life, newly hatched young animals are fed skimmed cottage cheese (with a fat content of not more than 15%) and a mixture of finely chopped boiled eggs with boiled cereals (millet, barley or chopped corn). Finely chopped greens are added to any of these mixtures.
- From the 8th day of life, compound feeds are added to the diet of chickens in small doses.
- From the 30th day of life, chickens are completely transferred to ready-mixed feeds with a high protein content.
- Young chicken feed worms and solder them with liquid vitamins. Vitamins are not diluted in drinking water, but each baby is buried in its beak.
- Chickens need a lot of drinking: it can be boiled water or an aqueous solution of glucose. To keep the water clean, it is necessary to place a drinking bowl next to the kids in such a design that they cannot get on their feet and get wet.
- It is undesirable to include rice in the diet of chickens, even in small doses, as it can cause paralysis and mortality among the bird population. It is also absolutely impossible to allow the kids to swallow sand. Useful for adult chickens, sand can clog the tender goiter of chickens and lead to obstruction of the esophagus. To prevent this, a bowl containing small gravel, the diameter of which does not exceed 2-5 mm, is installed in the aviary with monthly chickens. Gravel will help cleanse the esophagus and help the food digest in the stomach.
Care
Until the chickens are fully fledged, warmth is vital for them, which they will find in abundance in their mother hens. If the chickens are raised without a brood, they must be kept under the lamp for heating for the first two weeks of life. The temperature in the box with chickens is maintained in the range of + 28 ° ... + 30 ° C. From the 2nd week of babies' life, the temperature begins to drop gradually.
Chickens should also have a cooling area where they can avoid the heat of a light bulb if it gets too hot. Placing a heat source (light bulb) in one half of the chicken box will allow the babies to move further (or closer) to the heat as necessary. In the room where the little chickens are located, it is necessary to provide for the absence of drafts.
From 50-60 days of life, young ayam Chemani already lives in a chicken coop together with adult birds.
Did you know? In Indonesia, hens ayam chemi never lived in chicken coops of ordinary people in the country. They were kept in the homes of people with a high position in society or wealth, and were rather contained as symbols of prestige and the status of the owner of the house.
Vaccination
Any vaccination of chickens is carried out only after consultation with a veterinarian who will advise the necessary preparation and its daily dosage according to the age and weight of the birds.
In modern poultry farming, specific and non-specific disease prevention is used. When carrying out specific prophylaxis, special serums are poured into the chicks.Carrying out non-specific prophylaxis implies a set of actions:
- the presence of vitamins in feed;
- separation of healthy and sick chickens;
- quarantine deadline;
- conducting treatment.
How to support and strengthen chicken young?Important! Vaccination is carried out only for absolutely healthy birds, if some individuals are sluggish, reluctant and poorly moving, then the procedure must be postponed until they are completely recovered.
Before hatching, the chickens were in the egg, their body does not contain bacteria. For greater vitality, babies need the presence of good bacteria in their intestines. Each chicken needs to be fed a spoonful of yogurt weekly or add probiotic powder to the general feed (once a week). These actions will ensure the health of the chickens, colonies of living good bacteria will settle in their intestines and will help the gastrointestinal tract.Also, babies need vitamin B (a special, safe for chickens, version), this is a very important vitamin for chicks who become lethargic or experiencing stress. Vitamin B will not only stimulate energy, but also increase appetite, saving the life of a small bird.
Frequent diseases
Bacterial
Bacterial diseases are the most common causes of mortality in birds. This group includes:
- typhoid fever;
- salmonellosis;
- pastelosis;
- colibacillosis;
- mycoplasmosis;
- mycotoxicosis;
- tuberculosis.
Did you know? The black bird ayam chemani, according to the Indonesians, has innate magical properties and can facilitate communication between the world of the living and the world of spirits. Therefore, in Indonesia, it is used as a sacrificial bird, slaughtered as a gift to the gods, its meat is rarely (almost never) used by local residents for food.
Typhoid fever
The cause of celiac fever in chickens is feces, dirt, contaminated water and food, and infected people. Birds are infected directly through the digestive or respiratory system. The factors contributing to the development of the disease are the dirt in the chicken coop, as well as the stress that accompanies the birds in the cells.
Symptoms
- poor appetite;
- disheveled feathers;
- change the color of the scallop and catkins to blue;
- the appearance of eggs without shells or having shells with irregularities and smudges of calcium.
Salmonellosis
It enters the body of the bird through the digestive tract (with water, food or droppings). It can be found both in meat and in eggs.
Symptoms
- acute diarrhea;
- decrease in oviposition;
- sometimes inflammation of the ovaries, fallopian tubes and peritoneum.
How to treat? If untreated, diarrhea can become chronic and lead to poor appetite, loss of body fluid, and even death.
Preventing salmonellosis is difficult, as chickens can be hidden carriers of infection, without symptoms.
To prevent the disease, an aqueous vaccine is used, but in layers, it does not always work.
Pasteurellosis
Bacterial diseases also include highly contagious pasteurellosis, which often leads to sepsis and is characterized as morbidity with a rather high mortality rate in the herd.
Symptoms
- depression, disheveled feathers;
- fever, nasal discharge;
- blue color of the crest and catkins;
- shortness of breath and diarrhea.
Birds usually become infected through the respiratory system or skin lesions. Infectious infection through the digestive system occurs slightly less frequently.
How to prevent? Prevention of the disease is to maintain cleanliness and regular disinfection in the chicken coop. It is important to prevent contact of hens with wild birds (sparrows, titmouse), because they can be a source.
Vaccines are used only in certain areas where a pandemic has occurred. As a rule, chickens are treated with chemotherapy, but after it relapses often occur associated with hidden carriers of the disease.
Colibacillosis
Another disease that is associated with poor conditions and often accompanies other diseases such as tracheitis, tonsillitis and bronchitis. The sources of infection are wet litter, infected food and water, although birds can also become infected by airborne droplets.
Symptoms
- drowsiness;
- sneezing and runny nose;
- inflammation of the nasal mucosa;
- conjunctivitis.
Mycoplasmosis
The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. Adverse conditions in the chicken coop - dampness, lack of cleanliness and disinfection of the room, contribute to the development of the disease.
It is carried by wild birds, the cause of the disease is mycotoxins, secondary metabolites of fungi that enter the body of birds through infected food. As a rule, suffer: nervous, circulatory and digestive systems. The infection also penetrates the eggshell.
Symptoms
- hens are nervous, a characteristic trembling of the head appears;
- inflammation of the sinuses, reproductive system and sinuses;
- discharge from the nose and eyes
- swelling in the eye area.
Did you know? Indonesians consider ayam Chemani a bird that brings good luck, while blood and other parts of these birds are used to make local alternative medicine.
Tuberculosis
A very common disease among all bird species, which is on the list of zoonotic infections and is subject to strict reporting. It has a very long incubation period. Bacteria enter the body through the digestive system, and the source of the disease is the droppings of infected birds, which infect food, water and bedding in the chicken coop with tuberculous bacilli.
Symptoms
- activity decreases, laying hens become lethargic;
- catkins and scallops become pale;
- diarrhea appears with gray-green discharge, lameness.
Parasitic disease - coccidiosis
In addition to bacterial chickens, parasitic etiologies, such as coccidiosis, can occur. The birds infect them by consuming oocysts that are active at low temperature and high humidity. The causative agent of the disease are the simplest genus Eimeria.
Symptoms
- lethargy and loss of appetite;
- weight loss;
- disheveled feathers;
- the birds huddle together and cling to each other;
- bloody or common diarrhea;
- reduction in egg production.
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Treatment. Usually a few days after infection, the disease itself goes away.
Poultry farmers use a coccidiostat vaccine as a prophylaxis.
Also, as a preventive measure, natural herbal remedies are used, which can be purchased at veterinarians.
Viral
The following are viral diseases that can affect ayam chemani.
Newcastle disease
This is a viral disease called bird plague and causes high morbidity and mortality among chickens. If at least one infected bird enters the farm, then one hundred percent infection of all chicken coop inhabitants usually occurs.
The virus enters the body through the respiratory and digestive systems, and the source of infection is sick and dead birds. Discharges from the nose, mouth, and droppings of infected chickens have the highest concentration of germs that enter the water, feed, poultry equipment and work clothes.
Symptoms
- paralysis of the legs and wings;
- involuntary muscle contractions;
- indigestion and green diarrhea;
- apathy, weakness, drowsiness;
- conjunctivitis;
- swelling of the head.
Laryngotracheitis
This infectious disease affects the respiratory system and is quite contagious. The infection is transmitted by infected birds.
Symptoms
- decrease in egg production;
- tracheitis;
- hemorrhagic laryngitis;
- laryngeal discharge;
- swollen eye sockets;
- purulent conjunctivitis.
Descending egg syndrome
This disease causes a drop in egg production, and laid eggs have a distorted shape and a thin, pigmented shell. Sometimes infected chickens lay their eggs without any shell at all, in one bag.
Treatment. So far, no effective treatment has been found for top-down egg syndrome. As a preventive measure, complete feeding and annual vaccination of chicken herds are used.
Bird flu
A serious ailment of a viral nature, which affects all bird stock. Birds are infected from each other by airborne droplets.
Symptoms
- muscle cramps;
- twitching of the neck;
- swelling of the head and neck;
- conjunctivitis.
Unusual and exotic, absolutely black chicken ayam chemani will delight its owners with pale pink eggs and decorate with its own person the backyard of the household. This is more a decorative breed of chickens than meat or egg, but, of course, they are worth growing.