Malay, Assel/Asil, or Shamo?

[Faverolle Lover]

Hello. I have a small flock that has no use except for showmanship and fun. I currently have three Polish (one is a cockerel, one is a pullet, and the other is a half-blind 5 yr old hen), I have one Silkie cockerel, and a Faverolles hen. I am going to be getting a Yokohama pullet and I also want ether a Malay, Assel (Asil), or a Shamo pullet as well. Any suggestions? I really like how tall they are and their coloring. I want her to be nice and easily trainable (I am considering a chicken-leash). Are any of these sounding like they are the type I want? Would you suggest any other breed that is like this that sound a bit better?

 

[QueenMisha]

Malay, Shamo, and Asil are all lovely birds. They are quite friendly and all around good birds to have around, albeit poor layers. Personally I consider Shamo my favorite. My Shamo hen Misha was a house chicken for a long stretch of time. They are not quite as gamey as Asil, nor as rare as Malay.

Mind, these birds are rare. Do not expect any of the three breeds to be easy to find or cheap. I paid $100 and drove 1.5 hours for my first Shamo hen. Some hatcheries sell supposed versions of these breeds, but they are not true in any way - simply mixtures of egg laying breeds. If you want a true representation of the breed, including size, color, and in large part personality, you will need to go to a breeder.

 

[Faverolle Lover]

OK, thanks! I was thinking of just buying one from MurrayMacMurray Hatchery. I'm just in 4H showmanship and so I don't need super quality birds. I have been considering from a breeder, though. I am looking for one where I am and maybe I'll find one. Turns out my silkie cockerel became EVIL and so there's more room for the new chicken. I was worried that a bird as big as these would get crowded in my small coop. Now there's only a few birds for it to deal with. It's a 3 1/2' x 3 1/2' coop. Thanks again!

 

[junebuggena]

That coop would hold a maximum of 3 average large fowl. The breeds you are interested in need a lot more room than the average breed. They can get very tall, so head room is an important factor.

 

[QueenMisha]

OK, thanks! I was thinking of just buying one from MurrayMacMurray Hatchery. I'm just in 4H showmanship and so I don't need super quality birds. I have been considering from a breeder, though. I am looking for one where I am and maybe I'll find one. Turns out my silkie cockerel became EVIL and so there's more room for the new chicken. I was worried that a bird as big as these would get crowded in my small coop. Now there's only a few birds for it to deal with. It's a 3 1/2' x 3 1/2' coop. Thanks again!

MMH has healthy birds and decent prices. But again, if you purchase from them, do not expect to get a Shamo, Asil, or Malay. Expect a somewhat tall production-breed mutt. I would not expect them to be particularly docile in the way true versions of the breed are, in fact, my experience with hatchery orientals has been that they are rather flighty.

And @donrae is correct and touches on something I didn't mention - space. I wouldn't put more than one Oriental game - with NO OTHER CHICKENS - in a 3.5 foot pen. I wouldn't house one in the same space as other chickens if the coop was less than 4x6 at a bare minimum, and even then, I wouldn't give an Oriental less than double the space of a typical egg production breed (that comes out to 8sqf per Oriental).