Sumatra (chicken)
| Sumatra | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Origin: | Sunda Islands , Sumatra | ||
| Year: | unknown | ||
| Colour: | black; black red; wild-colored (other colors exist, but not generally recognized) | ||
| Weight: | Rooster 2.0 to 2.5, hen 1.75 to 2.25 kg |
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| Laying output per year: | 130 eggs | ||
| Eggshell color: | White | ||
| Egg weight: | 53 g | ||
| Breeding standards: | BDRG | ||
| List of breeds of chicken | |||
The Sumatra is a very ancient breed of chicken that originated in the Sunda Islands and Sumatra . The origin of the breed is unclear, according to local tradition it is said to have descended from feral Ayam Kampongs , a very original Malay breed of chicken that was kept free-roaming in the villages that mated with a species of the genus Gallus , which has now become extinct . The breed was first brought to the United States in 1847 to hold cockfighting with the roosters , and made it to Europe a decade later. Today it is kept as an exhibition poultry and is one of the fighting chicken breeds.
features
The Sumatra is a slender, medium-sized and very feathery chicken, which is vaguely reminiscent of pheasants in its posture. The body is elongated and almost cylindrical. The cocks have very long and wide tail feathers, which are carried almost horizontally and which only bend at their rear end. They are dark red to blackish.
Striking features of this breed include the color of the pea comb , the small ear and wattles and the almost naked face, which is only covered with fine feathers. They are dark red to blackish. The legs are dark olive to greenish black, the soles of the feet yellowish. Sumatra cocks are often multi-spurred. This is a non-common characteristic in most breeds of chickens.
The breed originally had black plumage with a very intense, bottle-green sheen. In the meantime several color varieties have been bred. The color varieties recognized by the German breed association also include black-red and wild-colored. Sumatranas lay white eggs, which is also one of the most striking features of this breed, as most Asian chicken breeds lay brown or at least non-white eggs.
attitude
The Sumatra is described as a very active breed that requires a lot of free running. They should therefore either be kept in very spacious chicken coops or roaming freely. If they are kept free to roam, they often stand up in the evening instead of returning to the hen house. They like to stay outside even in frosty weather. Sumatranas do not grow up very quickly and also reach sexual maturity later than other land races. Due to their very feathery plumage, they also need more protein than commercially available chicken feed contains.
literature
- Esther Verhoef, Aad Rijs: The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens . REBO Publishers, Lisse 2006, ISBN 90-366-1592-5
Single receipts
- ^ A b Esther Verhoef, Aad Rijs: The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens . P. 226.
- ↑ a b c d e Esther Verhoef, Aad Rijs: The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens . P. 227.
