Ayam Cemani

I have never seen this breed, so different and gorgeous.

I have 2 ayams, Phil (roo) and Lil (hen) they were sooo funny as chicks, I'd let them out during the summer when they were growing up while I cleaned the coop everyday, and they'd jump on my back and chill- then they stopped once they got bigger (like 7-9 weeks) and Phil turned skiddish, and so did Lily. For a good while they both never wanted pets, and Phil is/was on the bottom of the pecking order. Currently Phil still is at the bottom of the pecking order because he tries to fight all my hens, and he's still skiddish, as for Lily she's actually pretty friendly again, and she loves occasional pets, as for eggs they not super big.

Even with the cons, I still give my Ayam Cemani 5 stars. Roosters are gentlemen; smart, wary, prolific. Hens are drama queens, for sure! Egg song goes on and on...
Such pretty birds, definitely worth an investment. True Cemani are relatively uncommon in the States still. Do your research into your breeder!

We have bred and sold them for a couple of years now and they are really wonderful birds. Obviously beautiful but also more docile and cold hearty than one might assume from their exotic.

View attachment 1247927 View attachment 1247928 View attachment 1247929 View attachment 1247930 View attachment 1247930 View attachment 1247927 View attachment 1247928 View attachment 1247929 View attachment 1247930 Becky, my super goth ayam cemani hen, is hands down the nicest bird in my flock. She came out of some hatching eggs I got from feather lover farms a few years ago and was the only female! Becky comes a runnin' to me when I go outside for attention and worms. It's hilarious. Sometimes she'll even jump on my lap. Highly recommend these birds as pets and as an addition to your flock. Since she doesn't lay reliably, I wouldn't recommend as the only type of chicken.

It takes a little effort to get the perfect Ayam Cemani rooster, but when you see one of these incredible birds crowing from his favorite roosting spot, it is all worth it. An absolutely stunning bird.

I have three Ayam Cemani birds that were hatched this spring by a broody Bielefelder. She has hatched me a couple of dozen chicks over the last three years, and these are the only ones that have ever turned out to be so nervous, so I have to assume that it's the breed, and not the way they were raised.

However they are beautiful birds, with a calm (if very nervous) nature. I have two pullets and a rooster, who started to crow at 7 weeks old! He crowed half a dozen times over a couple of weeks, then stopped, and didn't start again until he was over 4 months old. At 6 months he has just started mounting the hens, and he is very gentle with them - not aggressive in any way. He is braver than his sisters, and will happily come and eat out of my hand, although I can only touch him when he is on the roost at night. His two sisters are very flighty - scared of their own shadows, and need a lot of persuading to even eat out of my hand.

*Edit* With age the two pullets have become much braver and less nervous. They both eat out of my hand without problem now, and are easier to pick up and handle. Interestingly they both decided to brood during their first winter - one in January and one in February, but have turned out to be wonderful chicken mums!
However their brother, despite being the alpha male in the flock, is still as nervous as ever, and backs away whenever I come near him. I doubt that will change, but he will stay with the flock as he is still gentle with his girls, and really beautiful!

After doing much volunteering at my daughter's ex-primary school with their huge flock of free range chickens the head gave us 4 chicks. 2 turned out to be boys. Poppy our AC was one of them. Rose, the other male, was returned to the school but my daughter sobbed that she couldn't possibly be parted from Poppy. They have a very strong bond. So here he is.



He will follow my 11 year old daughter to the ends of the earth and back. He is nice to the chickens. He is absolutely gorgeous and just loves to be cuddled, I had no idea that cockerels could be so very gentle. He doesn't seem to mind whether he is in our house or in their enclosure (we will free range them soon, just finishing up chicken-proofing it) I have read that ACs are quite flighty and our boy Poppy (his girl-name just stuck) does have very powerful wings, so we'll probably have to trim one soon to keep him contained.

I got my Cemanis as adults. I bet if I raised them from chicks they would be more friendly. They're really pretty and quiet. They like to forage so they don't eat as much as my other hens. They sure are a pain to get in the coop when it's time to be put away though!