Black or Blue Sumatras & Dutch chickens

Black or Blue Sumatras chickens

The Black and the Blue Sumatras are beautiful, ornamental birds that have long tails. 

The Black Sumatras, both the hen and the cock, have chocolate brown eyes and no wattles, which are the flaps of red or purple skin under a chicken’s chin. 

Their legs are clean, bluish in color, and have multiple spurs, or sharp protrusions. 

Their faces are deep purple and their black plumage has a green sheen to it.

The males have long, flowing tails that hang down. 

They are a beautiful breed of chicken with black skin and bones. 

They are bantams, with the rooster weighing 5 pounds and the hen weighing 4 pounds. 

Although the hens lay about 100 eggs per year, the birds themselves are used mostly as a pet or show bird and not for their egg-laying ability. 

Their eggs are white, and the chicks often are born yellow with splashes of black.

Black and Blue Sumatras are believed to be derived from the jungle fowl and possibly crossed with another species of bird, such as a pheasant or pheasant crossbreed. 

They were imported to the United States and Europe in 1847 from the island of Sumatra, which is located in the far Southeast Asia.

Although somewhat a rare breed of bird, many hatcheries have the black, blue, and a splash variety for sale. 

There is a White Sumatra, which is hard to find. 

Although this breed mostly is used as a show bird, they are beautiful birds to own and care for as pets.

Dutch chickens

The tiniest bantam of all, the Dutch chicken, weighs only 1 pound. 

It is a true bantam chicken with no large counterpart. 

The petite bird is somewhat docile in the female gender, but the male has been compared to a snapping turtle. 

They are lively and active but tolerate confinement well. 

These little birds are perfect if you do not have much room for your flock to roam.

Dutch chickens come in several colors. 

They are silver, light brown, blue, black, white, bluish-light brown (called blue partridge in the UK), and many other colors. 

They have a clean leg, with white skin and white or blue shanks. 

Their earlobes are white. 

Dutch hens produce about 100 tiny eggs per year.

These birds were originated in Holland where they are still popular today. 

They were introduced to the United States shortly after WWII but did not catch on in popularity.

In the 1970s, they were reintroduced once again.

Dutch bantams are an exhibition favorite.