Ayam Cemani Chickens Join My Flock
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I always enjoy bringing visitors down to see the chickens - especially when there are young, precious chicks in residence.
I began raising chickens primarily for their eggs, but over the years, I’ve also grown fond of caring for them and learning about their many different breeds and varieties. Recently, I added another interesting chicken type to my flock - the Ayam Cemani. It is an uncommon and relatively modern breed of chicken from Indonesia. This breed has a dominant gene that causes hyperpigmentation, making it entirely black, including feathers, beak, and internal organs.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- My four chicken coops are located near the vegetable garden past my stable, peacock yard and tropical hoop house. Visitors love stopping in to see all the different varieties of chickens I keep.
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- I have a mélange of types and breeds that are really interesting to look at and fascinating to study.
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- I started raising chickens many years ago and vowed to always have my own coops where I could keep happy, healthy and beautiful birds. Twice a day, early morning and late afternoon, the birds are given cracked corn. They also eat plenty of vegetables and fruit matter and trays of wheatgrass that I grow especially for them in my greenhouse.
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- Inside this coop is our “nursery”, where the youngest birds are housed until they are big enough to join the rest of the flock.
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- These are all peachicks hatched in my Winter House kitchen. These youngsters now have access to the outdoors where they can roam freely and explore.
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- These peachicks will be here for several more weeks before they are turned out with the bigger birds.
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- On the other side of this coop, I have three of thee interesting Ayam Cemani chickens. Ayam means “chicken” in Indonesian. Cemani refers to the village on the island of Java where this breed originated. Their beak and tongue, comb and wattles, even their bones and organs appear black.
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- The breed was first described by Dutch colonial settlers and imported to Europe in 1998 by poultry breeder Jan Steverink. The roosters weigh about five pounds full grown, while the hens are about a pound less.
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- Ayam Cemani chickens are cold and hot weather hardy, low maintenance, tame and easy to handle.
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- The hens lay a surprisingly abundant amount of eggs – and, the eggs are bright cream in color!
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- The Ayam Cemanis are sharing their coop with a few other young birds including this young peahen and this white Serama Rooster with frizzle feathers. These two are a very close pair – they hatched within days of each other and spent their first weeks in the same cage in my kitchen.
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- I also have another Ayam Cemani chick in my basement – it is sharing its enclosure with another peachick. They’ve also become the best of friends. After hatching, I like to keep these babies in my home where they can be watched closely – they go down to the coops after a couple of weeks.
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- Chickens and peafowl are not difficult to keep, but it does take time, commitment and a good understanding of animal husbandry to do it well. These two are super adorable.
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- Back down at the chicken coops – this Silkie mix rooster is watching lots of activity from his indoor perch.
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- The hen on the step is an Easter Egger. The hen looking out the doorway is a Buff Brahma. Both these breeds are prolific layers.
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- When laying, hens appreciate privacy – my coops have individual nesting boxes for all my hens. Female chickens are called pullets for their first year, or until they begin to lay eggs. For most breeds, chickens generally start laying eggs around four or five months of age. This rooster keeps watch over all his hens inside and out.
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- This is a young Black Copper Maran. My friend, Christopher Spitzmiller, brought me several Copper Maran chicks a couple months ago from a breeder in the Catskills. These chickens are hardy, calm, quiet, and are known to be good foragers without being too destructive. https://www.redfeatherfarm.net/heritage-breeds/
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- Here is one of three Barred Rock chickens. If you recall, the trio was gifted to me by my friend Ari Katz earlier this summer – one male and two females. These chickens were hatched in February. The Barred Rock Rock has a single comb with five points. Their combs, wattles, and ear-lobes are all bright red, and their legs are yellow and unfeathered.
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- I am so pleased with how healthy and happy my chickens are at my farm.
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- This speckled one is a Sussex hen. These birds are known for their interesting expressions and friendly personalities.
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- And this is a Serama rooster – Serama is the smallest chicken breed in the world.
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- The largest at my farm is this handsome black Langshan rooster. You may recall, I bought a trio of this breed from Northeastern Poultry Congress in Springfield, Massachusetts earlier this year. The Langshan is a rare, endangered breed from China. It is a graceful, nicely-proportioned bird with feathered legs. These birds are also quite active for large fowl, and this male is very friendly.
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- This pretty female is a Buff Cochin. Since all my chickens are hatched here or come as babies, they are very accustomed to the sounds made by the crew. In fact, these birds are filled with curiosity and love approaching visitors when they arrive.
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- And don’t forget my very curious and very friendly peafowl. This hen is hoping for a treat, I am sure. What are your favorite chicken breeds? Share them in the comments section.
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