Chickens with black meat: breed name, photo with description

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Chicken meat is known to be white or slightly yellowish in color. In most countries of the world today, just such an economic bird is bred. Recently, however, unusual black-meat chickens brought from China have become increasingly popular in Europe and Russia.

Breeds

At the moment, two breeds of such agricultural poultry are especially popular in the Celestial Empire, which, among other things, are distinguished by rather high productivity. Thanks to the Chinese, farmers in Europe, Asia, America and, of course, Russia, have the opportunity to keep unusual breeds of chickens on their farms:

• woohoo;
• ayam tsemani.

In terms of productivity, such chickens cannot be attributed to either the egg or the meat direction. In China, the bird of both these breeds is considered decorative. However, at the same time, the meat of uheiliui and ayam tsemani is also highly valued in the Celestial Empire. In China, this product is considered a delicacy, and the price for it in supermarkets is very high.

Chickens Ayam Tsemani: the history of the breed

Ancestorsagricultural birds of this breed in the wild live in Indonesia. Most of all wild chickens with black meat live at the same time in Central Java, not far from the town of Solo. Initially, the breed that preceded the ayam tsemani was once bred by local farmers.

From Indonesia, such black chickens were subsequently exported to many countries in the Asian region. At the same time, they became most popular in China, where a more productive breed, Ayam Tsemani, was bred on their basis.

Such chickens came to Europe only at the end of the last century - in 1998. Then breeder Steverink became interested in this unusual bird. This specialist brought several specimens of ayam tsemani from China to his homeland - Holland. Later, such chickens were also bred in Slovakia, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Today some Russian farmers also support ayam tsemani.

General description of chickens

The unusual color of meat in ayam tsemani is primarily due to a mutation in the dominant EDN3 gene responsible for pigmentation. In addition to the actual unusual color of carcasses, the distinguishing features of chickens of this breed are:

• all black eyes, plumage, earrings and comb;
• shortened deep black beak;
• dark gray leg color;
• compact trapezoidal torso;
• tight to the body wings.

Roosters of this breed, among other things, are the owners of very magnificent tails with noticeable elongated braids.

The standards for this black-meat chicken breed completely exclude white from the color. If the jury, for example, at an exhibition, notices a white spot even at the tip of the ayam tsemani tongue, the individual will be immediately disqualified. As producers in this breed, it is recommended to use individuals with the most saturated glossy color. Chicks from hens of this breed also hatch with black down.

Photos of black chickens with black meat ayam tsemani are very surprising to people who have never seen such birds before. As you can see, these birds actually look very unusual.

Economic characteristics

Too big chickens of this breed, like any other decorative, of course, do not grow. Ayam tsemani males in most cases weigh 1.8-2.0 kg. For chickens, this figure is 1.2-1.5 kg. But the meat of the representatives of this breed is really very tasty - not dry and soft enough.

Cockerels of this breed reach puberty at the age of 10 months. Ayam tsemani hens, like ordinary laying hens, begin to lay eggs at the age of 5-8 months. For a year, one such laying hen can lay up to 100-120 eggs. At the same time, ayam tsemani are simply excellent hens and mothers. In any case, the survival rate of young animals in this breed is as much as 95-100%.

The size of the eggs of black chickens with black meat are not too large. Their maximum weight is 50 g. The color of the ayam tsemani eggs is not black, but pale pink. Like ordinary chickens, several laying hens can lay eggs in one nest in ayam tsemani.

Features of content and character

In the conditions of the Russian climate, ayam tsemani will have to build an insulated barn and equip it with a heating system. These chickens do not tolerate cold very well. It is advisable to keep these chickens in the future separately from other birds. Ayam tsemani cockerels do not differ in too much aggressiveness. However, a feature of chickens of this breed is shyness. The owners should not make too sudden movements in the house or, for example, talk loudly. This can have an extremely negative impact on the productivity of ayam tsemani in terms of egg production.

Except for the need to keep the house warm, caring for these black meat chickens is practically no different from the methods of keeping any other breeds, including domestic ones. The feeding scheme for such laying hens and males is usually chosen the same as for hens of the egg direction of productivity.

This bird is usually kept by the floor method, having equipped perches in the barn and installing nests next to them. The diet of ayam tsemani includes grain, bran and vegetable mash. An aviary is being built next to the poultry house. At the same time, they place it behind the chicken coop - away from prying eyes, where these chickens will feel calm.

History of the uheiliu breed

The peculiarity of this breed is, first of all, that, in fact, it was not bred by the Chinese at all. These chickens were simply found by the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom in the wild in the 80s of the last century. Two suchlaying hens and one cockerel quite by accident, the peasants found in the mountains of one of the Chinese provinces isolated from civilization.

Later these chickens were brought to Europe as well. Of course, some domestic farmers also became interested in this breed.

General description of the breed

The feature of these Chinese black meat chickens, the photos of which can be seen below on the page, is actually a very original appearance. From the Chinese, the name of these chickens "uheilyu" is translated as "five black and one green." This is primarily due to the appearance of the breed. Eggs in uheilui chickens are green. At the same time, they have five black body parts: feathers, comb, bones, skin and meat.

The carcasses of these chickens with black meat are quite neat and have a completely marketable appearance. In addition to the black color of all parts of the body, the features of this breed include:

• glossy green tint in plumage;
• V-body;
• light bones;
• powerful chest;
• powerful wings;
• cockerels have bushy tails.

A feature of chickens of this breed is, among other things, the fact that they can fly well. Another notable characteristic of uheilyu is dense plumage, under which there is also quite thick fluff.

Breed productivity indicators

Like ayam tsemani, uheilyuy don't grow too big. The weight of cockerels of this breed is 1.8-2 kg. Chickens in most cases have a mass of 1.5 kg. Laying eggs of thisbreeds lay a little more than ayam tsemani - about 180 pieces per year.

The hen instinct of this breed of black chickens with black meat is developed just fine. Like ayam tsemani, uheiliui are often able to save all the offspring they have bred. This breed, among other things, has one interesting feature. Not only uheilyui hens can incubate eggs, but also cockerels.

Care

Thus, we found out what is uheilyuy - a breed of chickens with black meat. The photo and description of these birds allows us to judge them as very unusual inhabitants of the courtyard. In any case, of course, you need to properly care for uheilyuy.

Despite their dense plumage, hens of this breed, like Ayam Tsemani, unfortunately, do not tolerate frost or extreme heat very well. Experienced farmers advise maintaining the optimal temperature in the poultry house with uheilyuy within + 15 … + 19 ° С.

Also, these chickens are considered very demanding on cleanliness. The farmer will have to clean the poultry house with uheilyuy at least once a week. Unlike the ayam tsemani, who spend most of the day in the chicken coop, the uheiliui are very fond of walking. Therefore, for such a bird, an aviary must be equipped next to the barn.

In order for the chickens not to fly away, the paddock must be closed with a net on top. Farmers feed uheilyuy with mash and grain. Also, premixes, chalk, s alt are added to the bird's diet. It's also a good idea to occasionally offer uheilyu and special compound feed.