Creating the Corvalla! A chicken that looks like a crow

[Bigtom Turkey]

That is fine.

 

[AGeese]

I'll just note that yes, we talked about the Malays in your Malay thread. I'll keep on subject here. But back to crow-face. I think the Sumatra is too small of a beak. There are many types of crow, but when I think of Crow I think big, coal black, with a big beak am I wrong?

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I think the same. But is there a chicken that has a beak that big? We might need to cross in ducks.

 

[AGeese]

Me, the poster.

Just wondering if anyone else is onboard. I'll be watching.

 

[EliteTempleton]

Watching, wish I had known about Sumatras when I started my brooder set 4 weeks ago... got a few Astralorps and a Black EE at the farm store that is holding it's color so far.

 

[AGeese]

The interesting thing for me with Sumatras is the temperament of the rooster and their multi-spurred legs.

 

[dekel18042]

While trying to develop a chicken that looks like a crow is interesting one thought stuck out. Why people keep chickens. Usually eggs /and or meat is the answer. For me, it is eggs and tick control.
The size of the birds being bred seems smaller than a meat bird, and from what I know none of the parent breeds are good egg layers.
My thought would be in addition to looking like a crow the chicken should be a half decent egg layer.
We have hawks in abundance but thanks to lots of cover and hiding places and dogs that are very protective of the chickens, hawks aren't a big deal.
They also leave the bigger birds alone.

 

[troyer]

Very interested in this project!
I think your biggest problem is going to be to get and keep the tail below horizontal. Free ranging various black breeds together will get you there the fastest. Get the lowest tailed ones you can find. Hens are pretty easy to get solid black, it's the roosters that show the brilliant color. For instance here is a cockerel I thought was going to be great with a low tail. The older he gets the higher his tail goes. I'm keeping him, but I was hoping his tail would stay down.

 

[Malamute1]

Those who free range their chickens have had problems or fears with regards raptors preying on the flock, whether they are hawks, eagles or owls. There are a number of deterrent ideas to utilize, one of which being to put crow decoys around which need to be consistently moved around and cannot follow the flock, another being to own black chickens. The idea behind owning black chickens is that hawks might think they’re intimidating crows that are known for bullying predators to stay out of their territory. Some hawks however are smart enough to learn that a big red comb, heavy body and upright tail posture does not a crow make, and so will prey upon black chickens the same as any other color.

My goal is to make a chicken that looks enough like a crow or raven to make hawks wary if not fearful to make a dive for the flock. Ideal features for the project:

• Black feathers
• Black skin and beak
• Black or dark brown eyes
• No comb or wattles if possible
• Compact body mass
• Slanted body carriage
• Short, downward pointing tail
• Good forager
• Body length head to tail between 17-25” (crow body length is 17-19” and raven body length is 22-27”)
• Weight between 1lb-2.5lbs

The breeds I’m thinking of that could help me with these traits and what they bring to this project are:
Black Bantam Sumatra (fibromelanistic, small size, lean to medium build, pea comb, minimal wattles, horizontal tail carriage, “wild game-bird” personality, alert, hardy, good foragers)
Black Bantam Cubalaya (black feathers, small size, pea comb, minimal wattles, lean build, downward tail cartiage, alert, good foragers, hardy, smart, friendly
My own mix (black skin, black feathers, pea or no comb, smallish size, small to no wattles, wary/alert, good foragers, smart)

And maybe:
Svart Hona (fibromelanistic, smallish size, shorter tail, alert, good foragers, calm, hardy)

The overall length of the hen would be more important than the weight, as we are going for visual trickery. Roosters would not be as visually deceiving as hens with the long curled tails, larger combs (in comparison to hens) and crowing so the standard would focus more on the hen matching these ideals. Egg color, toe number, spurs and other features will not be focused on for this project since those do not factor into the trickery. Because this will be a breed meant to keep free ranging chickens safe, the personality will lean towards good foraging and alertness.

I was told that @nicalandia could offer some advice?

[Disclaimer: I did not take all of these pictures and do not seek compensation for these photos. They are only meant to better convey the subject matter to the reader]

Remember, black absorbs heat from sun. I free range in central Florida. Black animals here feel the heat more in the summer. They need more shade. Good luck!

 

[MeanCheek]

How goes the project?