The Indonesian chicken breed known as Ayam Cemani takes ‘dark’ into an entirely different realm. Their feathers are black. Their skin is black. The muscles, combs,bones and internal organs are all black.
The birds have been known to carry a high value in Indonesia, where they are believed to have some mystical powers. In this region, it is believed that the blackness of the Cemani makes it an ideal bridge between the human and the supernatural world.
Ayam Cemani’s meat
Their beautiful, ink-colored feathers also are highly prized because of their shimmer and metallic, colorful sheen. “Ayam” is the Indonesian word for chicken, while “Cemani” means “completely black” in Javanese the language of the people from the central and eastern part of the island of Java. The breed was imported into Europe in 1998 and is related to the Swedish Black Chicken.
Ayam Cemani are friendly birds, and the hens lay about 60 to 100 cream-colored eggs in their first year. A typical laying cycle lasts for about 20 to 30 eggs, then the hen will stop laying for three to six months. The eggs are unusually large in proportion to the size of the hen’s body. Despite their hypnotic otherworldly beauty Ayam Cemani are usually hardy, low maintenance, and by disposition easy to handle.
WHY ARE AYAM CEMANI BLACK?
The cause of the chicken’s internal blackness is a genetic condition known as fibromelanosis which is caused by a mutation that affects how pigment-producing cells work. Several years ago, Leif Andersson, a Swedish geneticist at Uppsala found a gene called endothelian-3 (EDN3), which they discovered to be involved in the regulation of melanocyte cells which produce pigments.
They found around 10 times as much EDN3 was expressed in the skin of adult black chickens than in other breeds.The cause of the chicken’s blackness is a genetic condition known as fibromelanosis which is caused by a mutation that affects how pigment-producing cells work
Price of Ayam Cemani
According to Phoenix New Times, a pair of Ayam Cemani retails for $5000, which makes it go for $2500 per bird. This is equivalent to buying some fairly used car.
0 Response to "Meet Ayam Cemani, The Rare Chicken That Sells For The Price Of A Car"
Post a Comment