Ayam Cemani Chicken

Who is the rarest and most sought after chicken breed on the planet?…Ayam Cemani Chickens of course! They originate in Indonesia and have most everything black; feathers, skin, comb and wattles, flesh, organs, black bones and all…wow! This makes this chicken breed one of the most beautiful chickens on the planet, hailing them as “The Lamborghini of Poultry.” We like to think of them as a gothic and cool/hip chicken breed that are also beneficial!

In Indonesia, they are known for their mystical healing powers due to their black hyper-pigmentation. Ayam Cemani is a melanistic breed, which means an overdevelopment of melanin. Their ink-black feathers shimmer with a metallic sheen of beetle green and purple. The Ayam Cemani are generally friendly birds, and the hens lay about 60 to 80 cream-colored eggs their first year, after that it can increase to 60-120. A typical laying cycle lasts for about 20 to 30 eggs, then the hen will stop laying for three to six months., they are not continuous layers. They are a real eye candy here on the farm, and definitely are higher up in the flock hierarchy. They are an intelligent breed, ours coming up to us begging for attention, treats, or just company. They are typically easy going and some of our hens have been excellent mothers to their  or other offspring, and broody sitting on eggs often. We would say they do well in all temperatures, thriving more in hotter climates –  cold protection of the combs and wattles is strongly recommended and if you choose, supplemental heat in the winter. Since our stock is acclimated to the Vermont climate they do well in all temperatures.

Feed Recommendations: we recommend starting baby chicks out with Sugar Feather Farm chick starter for the first 3 weeks, then switch to our Chicken Grower. Use the Grower Feed until they hit maturation (which is when they start to lay) then switch to Sugar Feather Farm Adult Feed. 

We highly recommend using the Oil of Oregano in their water daily as a supplement to aid with digestion and overall health.

In addition, our stock is the result of many years of selective breeding and occasional introduction of quality Ayam Cemani from breeders across the country, one is Daylily Acres a local Vermont breeder we work with. Our goal is to produce birds with straight combs, high fibro showing, and a gamier appearance.  Our breeding program strives to produce birds that meet the proposed standard of perfection as described by the Ayam Cemani Breeders Association.  Having said that, there may be birds that grow out with imperfections, this is very typical with Ayam Cemani, unfortunately many breeders in the past used other types of chickens to maintain vigor.  As we raise the AC, we “cull” for any imperfections we feel are not meeting the standards but many times the imperfections show up years later or when adults, way after the time they have been sold from our farm. This does NOT mean the AC IS NOT PURE!  ALL OUR ACs are PURE. It could be pure AC with some undesirable traits, if breeding this is important to not breed with if not no worries you enjoy the bird for who he/she is!

We can’t guarantee a perfect bird ever! If a breeder says they can it is false we are sorry to say. Also they don’t lay black eggs this is a gimmick.

For example it is important to understand that not all Ayam Cemani offspring grow up to be solid black, even with solid black parents. We cannot guarantee the distribution of black pigment in some the offspring you receive as each chick could have “flaws”. We want to be as transparent and honest as we can with this breed since there are so many people who misunderstand the breed,  have been taken advantage of or have been sold birds that are not ACs.

Our breeding program is always in process so we are perfecting our flock and aiming towards the working Standard. We are part of the Ayam Cemani Breeders Association and do our best to follow the guidelines as described above. This takes time and lots of dedicated hard work, Ayam Cemani are not easy to breed, many people give up. A few babies could have, like we said above, possible white nails and toes (this can go away as they get older). If receiving hatching eggs remember we have not gone through the “culling” process for each bird so this will be up to you to do. Ayam Cemani eggs can be a little tricky to hatch so do your research on hatching eggs properly.