The Smithies, the $5 "Ayam Cemani" black meat bird

[DCchicken]

So the new coop for the Smithies has been ordered. I was going to give them a pen like I do with my other breeds. But I decided since these are going to be only meat birds, they should have a portable coop Not a normal meat bird tractor, but definitely one that can be moved with my John Deere tractor.

This will be the first time I will let any of my FM breeds free-range in my woods.

 

[gloryblue]

DCchickens what can I say? Wow!!!
I'm trying so hard by myself to make a lg black meat bird, there isnt any way i could afford what is being asked for Ayam Cemani or...Svart Hona......
Can I be on a list for your eggs? Health reasons was a huge part in my fervently going on my own...family health...if you wish i'll pm you...
I myself just got a pen and need to put wheels on it so I too can move it either by hand or attempt with our tractor. Was planning this for keeping the meat birds totally seperate.

What a great idea! Thanks for making lemonade so good!

 

[DCchicken]

Just to make sure that we don't break any rules, let's make it a rule that anyone that wants eggs should send me a PM. That way we can leave this thread just to discuss the breed itself.

 

[gloryblue]

Did I do something wrong or break rules? Very very sorry if I did...I pm..ed you ...hope to hear back

 

[DCchicken]

So the Smithies moved outside to their new coop. They are getting bigger by the day.

 

[DCchicken]

I may use some of the culls from my TM line (the landrace pen). I probably won't use the ones from the improved pen. The reason being is the pen with the original landrace (and non-improved line) was kept to give me a way to go back if breed myself into a corner chasing the "blackest of the black". Since the goal of this project is for a black meat bird, feather color won't matter much. So even ones with silver leakage but with good skin color could be used. Even mulberry bordering on red in the wattles would be considered acceptable because this is about meat birds, not show or Standard quality birds.

Initially I will only be giving out eggs from the original Smithies once they are laying. So I don't want people to get the wrong idea that they are going to suddenly get eggs from my improved Cemani lines in the fall. I am starting just with the Smithsonian line pair that I got from Mike. I want to see where I can take them first before mixing in culls from the landrace line.

 

[dretd]

I may use some of the culls from my TM line (the landrace pen). I probably won't use the ones from the improved pen. The reason being is the pen with the original landrace (and non-improved line) was kept to give me a way to go back if breed myself into a corner chasing the "blackest of the black". Since the goal of this project is for a black meat bird, feather color won't matter much. So even ones with silver leakage but with good skin color could be used. Even mulberry bordering on red in the wattles would be considered acceptable because this is about meat birds, not show or Standard quality birds.

Initially I will only be giving out eggs from the original Smithies once they are laying. So I don't want people to get the wrong idea that they are going to suddenly get eggs from my improved Cemani lines in the fall. I am starting just with the Smithsonian line pair that I got from Mike. I want to see where I can take them first before mixing in culls from the landrace line.

I think you're smart to see what you have with the Smithies then maybe set up a second pen to do some experimenting with the culls from your better line. Also smart to get a few other folks on board to have some back-up flocks out there to draw upon if there are problems that arise on your property.

I am just starting to learn about Fm genetics. It sounds like you don't think that the color of the waddles/face/comb is necessarily an indication of the saturation of the pigment in the meat and bone. So when they grade the chickens (and this was from an Indonesian source) I thought they described looking at skin color since they were looking at breeding--but that this was not for showing. I will have to see if I can dig that source back up again. I'm afraid it is so buried by now I'll never find it again. Hrumph.

How many pens do you have? I am struggling to find room just to grow out enough Cream Legbars before I cull plus my dabbling in Welsummers (I want to have one APA breed to show) plus my daughter's pet layer flock. Geesh. Chicken Math. My hubby has gone from 'oh, aren't they cute' to '...how many chickens do we have now?'. My high so far this summer was 21 cockerels/roosters but I managed to sell 11 of them so far so the pressure from hubby is coming down. Time for my fall hatch

 

[enola]

I think DC is on to something, too. I had a really dark skinned ugly silkie rooster somebody gave me that I used on a cornish X hen. I sold the friers from this cross to asians. They were not particularly dark skinned -- untill you cooked them. I would love to have a Smithie rooster to do the same project with..............

 

[gloryblue]

enola did that cornish x with your ugly silkie come out with a meaty carcass? Your story is similar to mine...I got some South American shipped eggs which have fibro and did get a very dark fm pullet but since I was at that time using a still air incubator and new to it as well as incubating I added eggs from three hens ( possibly carrying fm but not displaying fm, SA x Auburn Java) covered by two ugly very black skinned rehomed roosters and threw eggs collected from two days with the shipped eggs...partly to see if hatching problems were from incubator, shipping challenges, my own eggs fertility, and to keep company with whatever would hatch from the shipping eggs...glad I did...only hatched the one pullet chick from that shipped batch...but much better rate from my fresh eggs...boy was I surprised, not knowing what I have come to understand that these chicks were sex linked and such a huge % pullet chicks all blacker than the very black silkie roosters.

For improving carcass size as well saturation these Smithies will be wonderful for this fm project...I believe so far my birds hatched this spring are much blacker than what the Smithies display...but may I hope add size if I must keep the darkest hatched set aside to maintain another source ...I've plenty of room to do that if these eggs hatch out well.

I might just try using those two ugly black silkie roos with cornish too just to see for myself how they'd workout and taste and improved carcass.

I too am not looking for a show perfection in type or feathers...but if those here can all work in a way sharing information and trading eggs too we will all make nice deep black meated healthy strong birds...if later the preferences are for us all to keep a seperate pure flock of Smithies and all work with them to improve them....I'd be proud to have a part in doing that too...

 

[tridentk9]

Just to pay respect to the Ayam Cemani breeders that spend a lot of time perfecting their lines, I think it would be a good idea if the breed is only referred to as the Smithies without the Ayam Cemani attached.  Or if people prefer, we can refer to them as the "Smithsonian Line".   The chicks should never have been sold as pure Ayam Cemani as they are not and never will be.  But they are the basis for a good, low-cost black meat bird.

I need a name for this little Smithie cockerel.  Any suggestions?

And in 50 years they'll be selling for the equivalent of 10 grand a pair! Or will it be 10 years and 50 grand?