Black Chicken: Get To Know Ayam Cemani

This black chicken brings new meaning to the term dark meat. Learn more about this rare breed, which hails from Indonesia.

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by Hobby Farms HQ
PHOTO: Dolf van der Haven/Flickr

Meet the totally black chicken. This rare breed from Indonesia is a total blackout.

Its feathers, skin, tongue, comb, wattle, muscles, bones and even organs are black! The feathers produce a metallic green and purple sheen.

The unique looks of this chicken are due to fibromelanosis, a genetic condition that causes hyperpigmentation.

The unusual-looking breed appears to have come from the Cemani village on the island of Java. Ayam means “chicken” in Indonesian.

As such a rare breed, Ayam Cemani have not yet been approved by the American Poultry Association.

The black chicken is said to be friendly, hardy, low-maintenance and easy to handle.

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Mature males weigh 6 pounds, while mature hens weigh 4 pounds.

One thing that isn’t black: its eggs, which are actually cream-colored with a slight pink hue.

 

 

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