Thought you guys might find this interesting- this is obviously not in it's first language, but still neat since I haven't found much out there on these chickens- or the black swedish hens either.
Copied and pasted from
http://www.nederlandsepluimveesoc.com/Nieuws Engels.html
Legends about the Black Chicken
Also in Asia the pure Ayam Cemani is rare. Many of them have been crossbred and actually are Ayam Kampong, black village chicken. For a pure Ayam Cemani one pays a considerable price by the way. You notice this when you visit a good restaurant in Singapore and study the menu card.
Apart from the fact that the Ayam Cemani has its tasty side, in Asia people say that eating this chicken puts one’s consciousness at ease. She also is a sacrificial chicken, during childbirths the Black Chicken is sacrificed to wish for a successful delivery. The same happens with people that are seriously ill. Finally she is used by the well-to-do by means of “sacrificial services”, for example by construction companies at official openings of office buildings or hotels.
But a chicken with black feathers is in our country also not guarded against legends. I mention a couple of them:
- Black cocks have connections with evil spirits
- If a black cock crows, this brings prosperity
- If a black chicken crows, one should fear misfortune
During cock-fights one should never lead a complete black cock to battle. If the cock kicks the bucket at the fight, than the owner will lose his life.
History
From the Ayam Cemani it is well-known that it existed already for ages in both Sumatra and Java. Initially the Dutch VOC seamen were not willing to eat suchlike black fleshy chicken. And in Europe one still is shivery and leaves the nibbling of for example a Silky to the Asians.
How the Swedish Black Chicken came over to Europe still is big mystery. Could the powerful maritime company VOC that had numerous contacts in both Africa and Asia be the solution? It even might be the reason that this chicken unconsciously got the nickname little VOC chicken. The Swedes assume that Dutch seamen imported this poultry race from Mozambique to Sweden.
Than remains the question: Did there live domestic black gallinaceous birds in Africa? The poultry historian Houwink mentioned the existence of Negro poultry. All in all, the origin of the Swedish Black Chicken remains to be wrapped in mist.
It remains very peculiar that, if we assume that the Swedish Black Chicken is a descendant of the Ayam Cemani, she, despite of the cold climate in Sweden, adapted so tremendously, especially because she has so few down.
All racial characteristics are preserved, this is a compliment to the Swedish poultry dabblers, but as earlier mentioned, they well are smaller build than the Ayam Cemani, but in spite off this she is a graceful chicken.
It is worth mentioning that what fertilisation is concerned the Ayam Cemani does not excels, on the other hand the Swedish Black Chicken possesses an extreme vitality, 98% is normal.
