| 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 |
| Model Name/Type | MPN | EAN/UPC |
|---|
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.
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.
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:
According to the standard colors for both males and females:
Disqualifications:
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