Our Ayam Cemani breeding flock is descended from quality show lines and has been carefully selected for strong breed characteristics, excellent black pigmentation and overall type. The birds display the striking all-black appearance the breed is renowned for, with dark plumage, combs, faces, wattles and legs. Originating from proven show stock and free from visible colour leakage, our breeding birds help maintain the exceptional qualities that make Ayam Cemani one of the world’s most sought-after poultry breeds. Eggs are regularly test hatched, producing strong, healthy chicks we continually select from our best birds to preserve breed quality and pigmentation for future generations.
At a glance
- Origin
- Indonesia
- Scientific name
- Gallus gallus domesticus
- Eggs per year
- ~80
- Egg colour
- Cream
- Incubation
- 21 days
- Broodiness
- Low
- Cold hardiness
- Moderate
- Sizes
- Large fowl
- Purpose
- Ornamental
- Purity
- Pure, Rare
About the Fibromelanistic Black Ayam Cemani
The breed's sole and defining variety: a uniformly inky bird in which fibromelanosis — a dominant mutation duplicating the EDN3 region on chromosome 20, shared with the Silkie — drives melanin into the feathers, skin, comb, wattles, beak, tongue, and even the flesh and bones. The black plumage carries a beetle-green to turquoise iridescence in good light. Recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain in the Rare Soft Feather: Light class (arrived in Britain in 2008), it remains scarce and is kept as an ornamental rather than a productive bird.
Available clutches
The "Lamborghini of Poultry" Originating from Indonesia, the Ayam Cemani is one of the most striking and highly sought-after chicken breeds in the world. Thanks to a unique genetic trait called fibromelanosis (hyperpigmentation), these birds are entirely black. This isn’t just limited to their iridescent, beetle-green-sheened feathers — their skin, comb, wattles, beak, tongue, and even their bones and internal organs are completely black. Note: Despite popular internet myths, Ayam Cemani do not lay black eggs! They lay a lovely pale cream or tinted egg. The Cumbria Hens Difference Here at Cumbria hens, we have spent significant time refining our Ayam Cemani breeding group, strictly selecting for breed standards, vitality, and that deep, ink-black pigmentation. Our breeding flocks are kept on fresh Cumbrian pasture, fed premium breeder rations, and managed with strict biosecurity.