Saipan Shamo and Sumatra

These are three nice rare oriental breeds of chickens. Saipans are the largest fowl that I have ever raised rivaling my jersey giants. Some people call them a form of jungle fowl because they use to roam the jungles of the island of Saipan in the south Pacific. They are very tall, muscular birds with nearly a vertical carriage. They are an excellent roasting bird. Mine sometimes drink from the livestock tank since they are twenty eight to thirty two inches tall. My hens weigh around eleven pounds and the roosters are thirteen to fourteen pounds. Needless to say they are more than capable of taking care of themselves while free ranging. With this breed its best to make roosts no taller than twelve inches. My roosts are made from 2X6 lumber. To make certain they will grow a straight keel and not sprain their legs. I also do this with my jersey giants malays shamos aseels and brahmas. Its better safe than sorry. A little cat food seems to make the hens lay better as a treat. These primitive breeds dont lay as many eggs if you dont pamper them. The breed doesnt have many feathers so raising them in the north is pretty time intensive keeping them warm and dry. The roosters dont fight that much if you dont seperate them. Got my first ones in 1971 after joining the SPPA. Shamo’s come from Japan and the roosters are territorial. They originated in Thailand in the 17th century. The Shamo has wonderful tasting meat like the aseel and dark cornish. Some people believe they are eating pheasant when they taste these breeds for the first time. After frying oriental breeds they should be baked in the oven covered for a period to make them tender as well as flavorful. Shamos weigh about three pounds less than Saipans. Hens around eight pounds and roosters around eleven pounds. Shamo hens are very bossy so best not to mix them with timid breeds. Smart birds with a good personality around people. Many people think my black sumatra chickens are the prettiest with their black long shiny feathers. They can fly amazing distances for a chicken. Most my sumatra roosters have three spurs on each leg. They are from the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia. The breed is quiet and the roosters seldom crow. Never ate any of these beautiful birds so I dont know what they taste like. Always had buyers for my older birds. The cocks go about five pounds and the hens four. Lay small eggs and have no wattles. Worth keeping for their beauty. Mine loved to roost in the trees.