The Sumatra chicken is a breed indigenous to the island of Sumatra. This is a decorative breed of chickens, grown mainly for exhibition purposes. And it was used for fighting in some areas where cockfighting was not illegal.
Historically, islanders in Indonesia caught Sumatran roosters early in the breeding season, used them in battle, and released them when their seasonal aggression subsided.
Today, the seasonal aspect of Sumatran chicken is still an integral part of the breed. And breeders can count on fertility and offspring in late spring. The breed is likely the result of a cross between wild Kampong chickens and a now-extinct variety of wild birds.
The Sumatran chicken was originally imported from the Indonesian islands of Sumatra in 1847 to the United States and Europe as gamecocks for cockfighting. It is one of the very old breeds included in the American Standard of Excellence. It was first included in the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Excellence in 1883.
Today, Sumatran chickens are mainly bred as an ornamental breed. And today, it is extremely rare. The Sumatra chicken breed is listed as Critical on the Conservation Priority List of American Livestock Breeds.
Characteristics of Sumatran Chicken
The Sumatran hen is a very beautiful breed and has very beautiful plumage. This is a special type of poultry that looks less like poultry than other chickens. In character, it is more like wild game than domestic chicken.
Sumatra chickens have a small bright red pea comb. They have small gypsy-colored earlobes. Their beards are very small and practically absent. Their feet and toes are black and their skin color is yellow. Roosters have glossy greenish-black feathers and a graceful posture.
Although other color varieties with a different color are available today. Roosters have a long, wide tail, with numerous long, wide, horizontally arranged sickles and coverts. Black is the only color accepted in the standard, but other colors are possible. For instance; White and blue.
The white variety has standard white plumage and the blue variety has standard blue plumage. Standard Sumatran roosters weigh about 2.25-2.70 kg, and chickens – about 1.80 kg. And dwarf roosters weigh about 0.735 kg, and chickens – about 0.625 kg. Photo from Wikipedia (Sumatra Blue, a rarer color than standard Black).
Behaviour/Temperament
The Sumatran chicken is very active, alert and one of the best fliers. They are also excellent jumpers. Chicks and adults are very hardy. It is an easy breed to handle. Roosters are generally not aggressive towards others, but they can only be aggressive towards members of their own breed during the breeding season. Although roosters fight for dominance, they usually don’t fight to the death.
Sumatra chickens are poor laying hens. They lay several medium-sized white eggs. But hens are good winter laying hens. They are also among the best broods and the best protective mothers. Sumatran chickens need a lot of space and they don’t do well in confined spaces. See the complete Sumatra Chicken Breed Profile below.
| Breed name | Sumatra |
| another name | Sumatra Game, Black Sumatra |
| Purpose of the breed | Ornament / Exhibition |
| Broad temperament | Aggressive, intolerant of confinement, easy to train, fickle, restless, wild |
| Breed size | big |
| sullen instinct | Medium |
| comb | Peas |
| climatic tolerance | All climatic conditions |
| egg color | White |
| Egg size | medium |
| Egg performance | Short |
| feathered feet | Not |
| scarcity | Ordinary parts |
| Varieties | Many color options are available. Black, Blue, Splash, White, etc. But black is the only variety recognized by the American Poultry Association. |
| Native country | Sumatra |
