Sumatras--what are they like?

[SilverPhoenix]

I've been sort of thinking about getting sumatras. I don't think it's going to be for a while, as my coop is fairly full and I'm getting into breeding seramas, but I'm still curious about sumatras regardless. Does anyone here have sumatras? If so, what are they like? Do they have wild temperaments, friendly temperaments, aggressive temperaments? Do they do well with other chickens? Ducks? Guinea fowl? I keep my chickens for pet and ornamental purposes, so I'm mostly curious about their personalities. Feel free to post pictures, too! Any sort of information is appreciated.

 

[TwinMommy2009]

I had a Sumatra roo (RIP Little Jerry) who was the SWEETEST guy ever and oh so beautiful!! I wish I had pics on here but I lost them when my computer crashed. He had wandered onto our property, not sure where he can from, but he was a Sumatra, no doubt about it. He really was a very sweet, vocal guy.

I ordered two hens for him and they were from hell!!! Very flighty, bad with my other chickens, and even the geese stayed clear of them. Eventually my husband disposed of them.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

I've had one so I'm a bit biased-but my young female is pretty friendly, yet she has a 'wild side' of her. When my birds free-range later in the day, she spends most of her time exploring and being curious. She doesn't like when I hold her, but will stand right next to me and eat out of my hands.

She's smart. Gypsy used to follow me around the yard and clung to me when the other birds went elsewhere. She was/is the first bird to figure out that blackberries are eatible and rather yummy.

She just has this general look about her that shows a sense of something...curiosity? Or just intelligence? I've been told the Sumatra is a more intelligent breed.

She's also very protective. Gypsy's challenged my dog on various occassions and never ceases to keep her hackles down around the crows. I actually saw her spar with a crow once. Gypsy has been aggressive in the past to weaker breeds of fowl, my crested breeds and smaller bantams being of that sort. (She's a large fowl.) She plays rough, but never drew blood from any of them and hasn't picked a fight with anyone for months.

We also have ducks and she gets along fine with them. As far as other info, I can tell you my pullet can be airborne if she really wanted to.

Decent 'fliers'. Feathering is shiney and has a lucious shine of green and purple, making them real eye-candy.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I think they are stunningly beautiful birds! They are so black, that they look blue colored.

We used to raise them, and this is from my experience:
They are a game fowl, and have game fowl tendencies. My breeders we bought grown, they were very skittish for a long time. The chicks were not that way. The roosters did show a lot of aggression to other roosters, even when raised together. They claimed a territory and would defend it fiercely. The hens were also somewhat territorial, but not as much as DH's other game hens are.
I tried to introduce some new hens to the flock once, and they would not accept any new-comers unless it was chicks that they hatched themselves.

Now, not all Sumatra's may be this way, but ours were.
I loved having them, and they were penned by themselves, so we could breed purebreds. They weren't aggressive towards us at all.
The long tails on the roosters are gorgeous! The hens also have a longer tail than most game hens.
You will love how they look if you decide to get them.

As chicks, they have a few white wing feathers, but when they molt to their adult feathers they will be black. They are a streamlined bird, like most game breeds, and lay an off-white or lightly tinted small to medium sized egg. They are very good layers, and ours layed year around. They are very protective when they are setting, so watch out!

Jean

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Thank you so much for the information, everyone! It's really interesting hearing about these birds.

I really would love to get some someday! It's just a matter of having coop room and so on.

 

[RAREROO]

Boggy Bottom Bantams has Black and Blue Sumatra Bantams if you're interested.

 

[roocrazy]

i loved my trio of bantams except they never liked to be held because if i woul pick them up the would scream and it didnt really sound chickeny either it sounded really scary

p.s. dont have them right now but im getting a quad in the spring

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Mine are all bantams. They are very nice gentle birds, no unless worked with, they dont like to be held, but that's true of any chicken. They are not flighty, aggressive, or mean in anyway. I dont even shut the gate when I go into feed them, they just step to one side and let me by.
Their green and blue shine to them in the sun is what I like, that and the long tails.
I have 3 males in the breeder pen with 5 girls, and have never had a fighting issue at all. They also just started to lay last week.
They should produce black, blue , and splash as I do have blacks and blues penned together like my ol buddy RAREROO said.
I was very cloudy when I took these pics so their shine isnt showing up well, but heres a couple, we have loads of pics on our website too, check out the bantam phoenix while you're there if you like longtails!

blue cockerel

blue pullet

 

[taraann81]

I was given a pair of them today from a friend! They certainly are beautiful. I'll get pics tomorrow!

 

[Kennyog]

They are a game chicken.They are beautiful.They are VERY flighty and do not like to be handled.They do better free ranging than cooped up.Very independent and territorial.I don't think they make a very good pet.