This page was created as a starting point for the development of this rare poultry
breed.
history
I first encountered Cemanis on one of my journeys to Indonesia, where I
met the descendents of pak Tjokromihardjo, an important breeder
of Cemanis in Dutch colonial times. Pak Tjokro has crossed original Cemanis with
local Ayam Kedu, creating ayam Kedu Cemani. The original Cemanis are believed to originate
from Sumatra, but are now extinct. My intention is to breed more or less original Cemanis
and introduce them in the Netherlands as exhibition birds.
Cemanis in the Netherlands
Between 1998 and 2000, I have visited Indonesia frequently, as a
poultry husbandry consultant. During each trip, I paid a visit to the
family of pak Tjokro, and we discussed (among others) the amazing features
of Ayam Cemani. It resulted in a gift of hatching eggs, which again
resulted in a small flock of Cemanis in my backyard.
Pictures on the next page.
breeding goals
My intention is to breed chickens that resemble the original Cemani.
They should be as black as possible. It
should show the purest form of melanism, meaning that just about everything is black. Next
to this, the breed should become viable again, meaning that hatching results
and feather quality should improve. To be accepted
as an exhibition bird, first a "standard of perfection" will have to be
written. This standard is based on the limited information that is available in Indonesia about
Cemanis, through a book by Frans Sudiro.
I have received some valuable contributions on the possible genetic backgrounds of
Cemani and Sumatra, which can be read here.
more......
On March 7th 1999, I had the opportunity to visit the village of Beji, where some
farmers make a living of breeding Cemani's. Here's a report. A
similar story was printed in Gatra magazine some time ago.
Read the text that was published at feathersite
