The Smithies, the $5 "Ayam Cemani" black meat bird

[DCchicken]

Hello. How do you find your ACs, SHs, and Smithies differ in color, shape, and size at the same ages? Aren't the Smithies supplemented with leghorn_chicken to improve their egglaying? Or am I confusing them with another AC line?

Yes the "Smithsonian Line" from Mike in New York is a hybrid cross that was created by another breeder using a Cemani and a Lavender Leghorn. People have reported that they are very good layers. That can be attributed to the Leghorn's contribution to the mix. My Smithies are too young to judge size.

My line of Cemani are more gamey than my Svart Hona. The Svart Hona are a little larger (fatter) than my Cemani.

Color wise my Svart Hona are very, very black all over. Svart Hona are all landrace. But the ones that I have were selected and imported as perfect examples of the breed. So it is not surprising that they produce beautiful offspring. I even have Greenfire's line which I am currently growing out a few crosses with that line.

I have several lines of Cemani, including a Birchen color I am working on. My Cemani are not perfect and a small percentage start life with white feathers on the wing tips. But the white feathers fall out and don't return when they molt and get their adult plumage. This is common with a lot of black birds, for example Marans. However, I spent the past year selecting generations that improve the appearance of the line.

 

[maranfarmer563]

I'm convinced the dry hatch method is right for me. My marans and cemani eggs shipped from Colorado are hatching today,they are going under a broody silky tonight. She will keep them warm this winter

 

[DCchicken]

I'm convinced the dry hatch method is right for me. My marans and cemani eggs shipped from Colorado are hatching today,they are going under a broody silky tonight. She will keep them warm this winter

Most of the time I put my faith in my Rcom 20 Pro incubator. But when that is full, I use one of the rebuilt Brinsea Ecos or my Genesis. with the Brinsea and the Genesis, I basically dry hatch as I forget to add water.

The only time I ever have had bad hatches is recently when I have had a couple of thermostats stick open and cook eggs. This seems to only be a problem with analog ones. The digital ones seem to be very accurate.

 

[Double Kindness]

Maranfarmer563- congrats on your hatch! I think our ac are from the same parents here in CO!

Dc- I sent you a pm in regards to deposit on spring hatching, since the sh got cooked I guess I will wait until spring!

I have 2 obvious haffies, with pink skin. 4 black skin chicks, idk how to sex chicks yet, but I think I have an even 50/50 split boys to girls.

I'm picking up 6 more purebreed ayam cemani chicks from my friend after they hatch this weekend. DC's sister is sending me white bresse day old chicks probably Monday. Then no more new chickens until spring. I promised my bf.

That does leave me open to meat rabbits tho. I'm looking for a pregnant new zealand white meat rabbit this week. Maybe muscovy ducks in the spring and jumbo cortunix quails. 3 beehives. Maybe a milk goat or 2. My .5 acre urban craziness. I need more land. We're trying to see about buying the .75 acre abandoned property next door to us since we've got lots of equity and are debt free including our business.

Eventually we want to be self sustaining off grid, but that's probably 5-10 years out from now before we can make that a reality, but best to start off small so when we go bigger, we know what not to do.

I wish I could figure out storage for 1000 lbs of feed. We have determined squirrel, mice, bunnies, kitty cat that comes into my yard to munch on my plants, tear stuff up. Going to the feed store every weekend is getting mighty old. After Tuesday I will be at 59 chickens. Good lord!

DC-how do you sex day old ayam cemani chicks?

 

[bluenkimchi]

Maranfarmer563- congrats on your hatch! I think our ac are from the same parents here in CO!

Dc- I sent you a pm in regards to deposit on spring hatching, since the sh got cooked

I guess I will wait until spring!

I have 2 obvious haffies, with pink skin. 4 black skin chicks, idk how to sex chicks yet, but I think I have an even 50/50 split boys to girls.

I'm picking up 6 more purebreed ayam cemani chicks from my friend after they hatch this weekend. DC's sister is sending me white bresse day old chicks probably Monday. Then no more new chickens until spring. I promised my bf.

That does leave me open to meat rabbits tho. I'm looking for a pregnant new zealand white meat rabbit this week. Maybe muscovy ducks in the spring and jumbo cortunix quails. 3 beehives. Maybe a milk goat or 2. My .5 acre urban craziness. I need more land. We're trying to see about buying the .75 acre abandoned property next door to us since we've got lots of equity and are debt free including our business.

Eventually we want to be self sustaining off grid, but that's probably 5-10 years out from now before we can make that a reality, but best to start off small so when we go bigger, we know what not to do.

I wish I could figure out storage for 1000 lbs of feed. We have determined squirrel, mice, bunnies, kitty cat that comes into my yard to munch on my plants, tear stuff up. Going to the feed store every weekend is getting mighty old. After Tuesday I will be at 59 chickens. Good lord!

DC-how do you sex day old ayam cemani chicks?

Those Orphington X cemani chicks you got from your friend, might be 2 males and 4 females, base on the FM X light skin sex link rule? Could also be the opposite and be 4 males and 2 females, since you said before it was cemani hen X Orp roo or could also just be 50/50 like you guess.

In a few weeks, you might be able to tell better.

How about getting a corn silo to store that 1k lb of feed?

 

[DCchicken]

Maranfarmer563- congrats on your hatch! I think our ac are from the same parents here in CO!

Dc- I sent you a pm in regards to deposit on spring hatching, since the sh got cooked

I guess I will wait until spring!

I have 2 obvious haffies, with pink skin. 4 black skin chicks, idk how to sex chicks yet, but I think I have an even 50/50 split boys to girls.

I'm picking up 6 more purebreed ayam cemani chicks from my friend after they hatch this weekend. DC's sister is sending me white bresse day old chicks probably Monday. Then no more new chickens until spring. I promised my bf.

That does leave me open to meat rabbits tho. I'm looking for a pregnant new zealand white meat rabbit this week. Maybe muscovy ducks in the spring and jumbo cortunix quails. 3 beehives. Maybe a milk goat or 2. My .5 acre urban craziness. I need more land. We're trying to see about buying the .75 acre abandoned property next door to us since we've got lots of equity and are debt free including our business.

Eventually we want to be self sustaining off grid, but that's probably 5-10 years out from now before we can make that a reality, but best to start off small so when we go bigger, we know what not to do.

I wish I could figure out storage for 1000 lbs of feed. We have determined squirrel, mice, bunnies, kitty cat that comes into my yard to munch on my plants, tear stuff up. Going to the feed store every weekend is getting mighty old. After Tuesday I will be at 59 chickens. Good lord!

DC-how do you sex day old ayam cemani chicks?

The only way to sex day old chicks that are FM is by vent sexing. I am learning it but maybe my eyes are just getting old. You can also do it by behavior. The boys will jump back but still be on alert if you move your finger towards them. But I think the behavior method only works for 3 week olds. And sometimes they crow. I have a 5 week old Svart boy that crows to let me know that something is in the feed bowl.

 

[Double Kindness]

Oh no! Crowing at 5 weeks old?!

I keep looking at my chicks and since it was a non fm roo over fm hens, I think it's 50/50. Idk about orpington or cemani chicks, all mine have combs developing, more so than others. I'm guessing at males due to how their feathers are coming in, feet and leg size, lack of tail feathers. I could be wrong though.

I asked b/c 11 more are due to hatch this weekend, and I spoke for 6 of them. As I'm looking for a nice big black roo as well as good black saturated coloring in the pullets. I guess I'll just take 50/50 odds.. I tend to drop baby chicks, so vent sexing is probably not a great idea, I was wondering about feather sexing the tip of their wings, or does that not apply to ac?

 

[DCchicken]

Oh no! Crowing at 5 weeks old?!

I keep looking at my chicks and since it was a non fm roo over fm hens, I think it's 50/50. Idk about orpington or cemani chicks, all mine have combs developing, more so than others. I'm guessing at males due to how their feathers are coming in, feet and leg size, lack of tail feathers. I could be wrong though.

I asked b/c 11 more are due to hatch this weekend, and I spoke for 6 of them. As I'm looking for a nice big black roo as well as good black saturated coloring in the pullets. I guess I'll just take 50/50 odds.. I tend to drop baby chicks, so vent sexing is probably not a great idea, I was wondering about feather sexing the tip of their wings, or does that not apply to ac?

Feather sexing only works if they have the fast feathering gene. That applies to any breed. It can be breed in but I don't know of any AC that have it already so you would basically be bringing it in with another breed. Maybe that is something we should try with the Smithies. It would be nice to be able to sex them early so the boys could be caponized.

Try the behavior method. Pullets tend to tuck their head under the body of another chick. Not guaranteed to be accurate. But probably better than dropping them.

 

[gloryblue]

I'm curious now DC with the mentioning the fast feathering gene, as well as not seeing this in the AC's, since 'Smithies' are reported to have a dash of Leghorn perhaps they do have the fast feather growing gene?
Also wondering if you've ever experimented by looking at two, three, four day old wing feathers to make close judgments to see if this works try banding the one who are boys...

You've probably tried this without success...which is why you say this gene seems to be missing with AC's?
Guess we'll see what happens with this gene in the Smithies.

 

[enola]

There haven't been any Smithy chicks hatched yet. But, that is an interesting hypothesis.