The American Cemani Breeders Club...open forum

[igorsMistress]

I had posted this in a forum about breeds of chickens, but I was told that posting my questions here would yield better results.

I recently acquired 4 ayam cemani chickens, one male and three female. They were born at the end of January so they are about 20 weeks/5 months old now. I'm new to the breed, so I have a few questions about this guys so I'm informed more clearly about them and so that I can cater to their needs.

1) When will the rooster start crowing? He makes clucking noises, but I've never seen or heard an attempted or actual crow. He opens his mouth wide sometimes but I think it's just a yawn.

2) When will the females start laying? I've read that the POL can be as early as 5 months or as late as 7 months, but this is unclear for this breed.

3) What is the laying pattern for hens? I've heard that they won't lay for months, but also that they just alternate between weeks.

4) Will the chickens be able to breed as soon as the hens start laying? I'm not sure when the male will be mature enough.

5) How big approximately is the clutch size for a mother ayam cemani? In saying that they're "questionable" layers, I'm unsure on how many eggs they'll lay before the eggs sit for too long without incubation.

6) What foods do ayam cemanis prefer? I've tried to feed them the same food as my cochins, but they aren't fans of earthworms, strawberries, carrot shavings, etc.

7) How should ayam cemanis be kept to make them happy? They're in an enclosure where they each have 20sqft of space 6ft of height for flying up to perches, as well as a coop above the ground, some "stimulus", and food+water. They also get let out into a chicken tractor to pick at grass and bugs and such.

1. No matter what breed it’s different for each bird. They’ll crow when they get around to it.

2. Same as above, when their hormones kick in they’ll start to lay.

3. It’s different for each bird, some folks say they lay just fine and others say they tend to go broody.

4. It’s not recommended to hatch pullet eggs. The eggs are typically small and it may take time for the rooster to get mating down. Wait until they’re about a year old and the eggs are bigger.

5. it is an individual bird thing so you’ll have to see what pattern yours follow.

6. This is also not a breed thing but a bird thing. None of my birds like strawberries. Also, they’ll tend to try a wider variety of foods as they get older. Young birds are wary of new things and seem to prefer seeds in my flock. Greens and such are consumed more by the older flock members.

7. same as any other chicken, some will be fine with that, others may want to roam.

AC are just like any other chicken, they’re just all black. No special food or arrangements necessary. Just treat them chickens and they’ll be fine.

 

[Noellereagan]

Here’s my main squeeze. Aside from the watermark this picture is unedited. And it is NOT black and white. This is a full color photo.

 

[Delkana]

That's a pretty remarkable claim. Having said that I am interested although much elaboration is required before I will commit? So, please elaborate in detail?

Right here or u wanna do it privately?
Let me introduce myself first of. My name is Daniel, i live in Indonesia, and i've been shipping cemani eggs to USA a few times this year alone. My last shipment was a few days ago to a guy in California. If you wanna know more about my flock and what quality of ayam cemani do i have, please visit my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cemanilover/
And my fb account https://www.facebook.com/daniel.elkana

 

[Killyhawker]

I have a 23wk old pullet from an Australian Breeder. She has a male for me when I am ready. I can’t have a rooster in my present neighborhood. Her name is Freja and in my mixed flock. I love her! She is SO SOFT!!!!! Like satin

 

[Blue Eager]

Right here or u wanna do it privately?
Let me introduce myself first of. My name is Daniel, i live in Indonesia, and i've been shipping cemani eggs to USA a few times this year alone. My last shipment was a few days ago to a guy in California. If you wanna know more about my flock and what quality of ayam cemani do i have, please visit my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cemanilover/
And my fb account https://www.facebook.com/daniel.elkana

I don't do facebook. Let's talk offline.

 

[Noellereagan]

I have a 23wk old pullet from an Australian Breeder. She has a male for me when I am ready. I can’t have a rooster in my present neighborhood. Her name is Freja and in my mixed flock. I love her! She is SO SOFT!!!!! Like satin

She’s super cute. Actually very beautiful but what I meant to say is her personality conveys cute in these photos. Is she super sweet? I have three stunning ac hens that follow me everywhere and jump in my lap etc. but I find the rest to be skiddish even when imprinted. Of course, I’m a serama girl so in comparison to my tiny dinos everything seems skittish to me. Except for the three hens that I was talking about. The funny thing is, for the first two weeks they were brooded with seramas. Maybe no one told them they’re big, tough, mysterious cemani hens.

 

[Killyhawker]

She’s super cute. Actually very beautiful but what I meant to say is her personality conveys cute in these photos. Is she super sweet? I have three stunning ac hens that follow me everywhere and jump in my lap etc. but I find the rest to be skiddish even when imprinted. Of course, I’m a serama girl so in comparison to my tiny dinos everything seems skittish to me. Except for the three hens that I was talking about. The funny thing is, for the first two weeks they were brooded with seramas. Maybe no one told them they’re big, tough, mysterious cemani hens.

She is sweet! I wouldn’t say lovey-dove, but definitely docile. She is easy to catch, she will jump on my lap. She like to sit on the highest roosts and ledges. If you are holding her & gesture her she can “go”, she likes to fly. Hence the highest roosting places. She and my little Barbu d’Ucclé are fliers. I have a shade cloth that I roll stored up. Close to the ceiling and I find them both sitting up in it like a hammock (especially if I don’t get them into the coop before dark).

 

[Strange Hatter Farms]

This is my boy Arkham. Im hoping to breed him in the Spring for higher quality

 

[Noellereagan]

This is my boy Arkham. Im hoping to breed him in the Spring for higher quality

Handsome boy!

 

[JordanFamily]

I have not, but they eat the same food as my other birds, (20%starter/grower + grit and occasional mealworms), and NONE of my other breeds have this issue. They have had feather issues since I got them (one of them had NO feathers on his back and they took a while to grow in. They weren't plucked out, they were simply not there, like they hadn't formed.) I will get some good pics later tonight to show you.

Is there a particular food or food item or nutrient that is good for making strong feathers besides protein and calcium? (They do not currently get supplemental calcium - I only give that to my layers.)

It might be that they are just highly Hard feathered. Which is what the breed is in Indonesia. Some breeders over there even say their birds are almost bald until a year old, and feathers can be fragile when it’s a hard feathering. The harder feathering is actually a good sign fibro genes are really good. You might hop on Facebook and talk to a few Indonesian breeders. You might be surprised what you find.... Here in the US a lot of the breeders that imported them crossed them early on to a different breed for egg production and it changed the feathering to be softer. So most birds you see here in US are soft feathered and not the appropriate hard feathering you see in full Indonesian birds. I try to stick to only the purer Indonesian lines myself... try to stay away from the crosses the hatcheries did early on. Best wishes...