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Sumatra

The Black Sumatra is a rare and beautiful Asian long tail chicken with rich lustrous beetle green plumage. It originally was inported from Sumatra for cockfighting, but is now exclusively an ornamental fowl. The Black Sumatra was admitted to the APA Standard in 1883. No other colors have been admitted in large fowl. However, the bantam Sumatra is recognized in both black and blue.

The Sumatra has a personality closer to that of a wild game bird than a domestic chicken. The male has a graceful carriage and lustrous greenish black feathers. The cock should have a long sweeping tail, with an abundance of long sweeping sickles and coverts, carried horizontally (females tail carriage 15 degrees above horizontal).

Multiple spurs on males are desired as well as practically no wattle development. Comb and wattles are expected to be a gypsy (purplish-black) color, while their skin is yellow. Shanks should be black with the bottom of the feet being yellow.

They are fair layers of medium size white or light tint egg.

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Detail Value
Breed Purpose
Ornamental
Comb
Pea
Broodiness
Average
Climate Tolerance
All Climates
Egg Productivity
Medium
Egg Size
Medium
Egg Color
White
Breed Temperament
Aggressive,Wild / restless,Flighty
Breed Colors/Varieties
Black is the only color admitted into the standard but other colors are available.
Breed Size
Large Fowl

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User Reviews: Sumatra

Ranked #41 in the category Chicken Breeds
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Community Rating (3 reviews)
Overall
January 11, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Lbrad7
Reviewed by Lbrad7
Pros: Attractive and rare
Cons: Very flighty, not friendly

Nice ornamental breed, very intelligent but not overly friendly to humans. My birds were poor layers but great foraging for food in the fields. Very flighty as well. As far as ornamentals go, I think there are prettier birds but the Sumatra is no slouch and they are pretty rare and that makes them interesting in it's self.

January 11, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Pinky
Reviewed by Pinky
Pros: good forager

My black sumatra hen lays good and is a beautiful bird.

January 11, 2012 at 8:01 am
Soli
Reviewed by Soli
Pros: Excellent forager, does well free range, great in cold climates
Cons: Tend to be wild, flighty, sometimes aggressive with other chickens.

Sumatra are a great choice for either a breeder of ornamental fowl, or someone who wants a hardy, self-sustaining flock of free range birds.  They fly extremely well at an early age and tend to be wary, which helps them survive predators when on their own, *if* they have a safe place to fly to (such as barn rafters, etc).  As an ornamental fowl, they are quite beautiful and several show lines will have lengthy saddle and tail feathers, although you will not see this in hatchery quality birds. American Sumatra will tend to have longer feathers, while European-bred Sumatra will have more of a gamey appearance, with longer legs and tail and saddles not reaching the ground. Sumatra can display bird-aggression, particularly seasonally, but they are not considered gamefowl in any sense other than their historical origin.



Article: Sumatra

Chicken Breed Info:

Breed Purpose: Ornamental
Comb: Pea
Broodiness: Average
Climate Tolerance: All Climates

General Egg Info:

Egg Productivity: Medium
Egg Size: Medium
Egg Color: White

Breed Temperament:

Aggressive,Wild / restless,Flighty

Breed Colors / Varieties:

Black is the only color admitted into the standard but other colors are available.

Breed Details:

If you are interested in getting into long tail chickens I think the Sumatra is a good choice because they are relatively easy keepers. Sumatras are beautiful chickens with their flowing tails. They have a call that can be almost jungle like. They have a cantankerous personality. The more space you can give your Sumatra the happier he will be. They do not like close confinement. They prefer to roost as high as they can get.

Four week old chicks will fly 6 feet high. If you do not want to be out in the dark with flashlight and ladder getting your chickens out of a tree please do not free range your Sumatras until they have learned that home is the coop. In my experience hens do not go broody until second year but then were frequent broodies. Both hen and rooster are doting parents and fierce in protecting their young. Following is some information from the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection:

Standard Weights:

  • Cock 5 pounds
  • Cockerel 4 pounds
  • Hen 4 pounds
  • Pullet 3 ½ pounds

According to the standard colors for both males and females:

  • Comb, face, wattles and earlobes: Gypsy color
  • Beak: Black
  • Eyes: Dark Brown
  • Shanks and Toes: Black to dark willow, black preferred. Bottom of feet: yellow
  • Plumage: Very lustrous, greenish black throughout
  • Undercolor of all sections: Dull black

Disqualifications:

  • White earlobes
  • Some white in feathers (for specifics see APA standard of Perfection)
  • No spurs of any kind on males

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