Sumatra

The Sumatra chicken originated on the Indonesian island of the same name and made its way into poultry yards here as an ornamental curiosity rather than a production bird. It's a light-framed, agile fowl with jet black feathering that flashes green in full sun, closer to the sheen on a rosella's wing than the flat black of a farmyard hen. Most keepers run a handful for showing or simply for the look of them, and the breed stays rare outside dedicated poultry circles.

A grown Sumatra tips the scales at roughly 1.8 to 2.7 kg, putting it in the medium bracket for chooks. It carries itself low and level, with a long tail that sweeps out well behind cocks in particular. Hens are smaller with shorter tails but share the same dark, glossy colouring.

These birds forage hard and fly properly, better than almost any backyard breed you'll come across. They keep people at arm's length unless handled regularly from chick age, and that wariness is part of the appeal for keepers after something closer to a wild bird than a tame pet.

Who the Sumatra suits

The Sumatra suits keepers after a striking, self-reliant bird who can offer room and a fully covered run, not a tight suburban block. Strong flight and a standoffish nature rule it out for anyone wanting a cuddly pet or keeping birds in a small yard. Owners who handle chicks from day one end up with the settled adults.

The Sumatra takes its name from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, where local fowl of this type were kept well before Western fanciers took any notice. Early travellers described glossy black, long-tailed birds living semi-wild across parts of the archipelago.

The breed reached the United States and Europe in the mid-1800s, with imports through the 1840s and 1850s introducing fanciers to their deep sheen and flowing tails. Some early stock was linked to fighting birds, though the Sumatra's lasting reputation came down to looks rather than temperament in the pit.

Breeders over the following decades selected hard for the green-black plumage, low stance and long tail that mark the modern Sumatra. The American Poultry Association added the black variety to its Standard of Perfection in 1883, with a blue form recognised later.

The Sumatra never became a production breed anywhere. It has stayed a specialty of ornamental and show keepers, and numbers remain modest next to the mainstream layer and meat breeds found in most chook yards.

The Sumatra carries a long, low body held close to horizontal. The standout feature is the tail, full and flowing on cocks with long, well-arched sickle feathers. Plumage is black with a strong green sheen across the body, the kind fanciers often call beetle-green. The breed has a small pea comb and a dark face, and many birds grow multiple spurs on each leg.

Coat and colours

The black variety is the original and by far the more common of the two. Its feathers throw a metallic green sheen that shows up best in direct sun, which in most of the country is not in short supply. A blue variety carries a slate-blue body colour and turns up far less often. Face, comb and wattles are dark, and the legs are black, sometimes with a greenish cast. Show quality comes down to the clean shine of the plumage, so feather condition and colour depth matter most in the ring.

The Sumatra keeps a good deal of the alert, self-reliant streak of a semi-wild fowl. These birds forage widely and roost as high as they can manage given half a chance. They fly strongly and will clear fencing that holds heavier breeds without much effort, so a secure or covered run isn't optional.

Around people the breed keeps its distance. Sumatras rarely turn into lap birds, though calm, regular handling from chick stage produces steadier adults. They're watchful and quick to react to anything out of the ordinary, whether that's a kookaburra overhead or a dog at the fence.

With other birds the breed generally settles into a flock well enough, but cocks can turn territorial toward rival males. Hens are quieter and less pushy. Vocally the breed sits in the middle, not silent but not a noisy nuisance either, and its watchful streak means it often sounds off at unfamiliar movement before anything else in the yard does.

Day-to-day care comes down to space, security and clean, dry conditions. The breed is hardy and active but flighty, so containment and protection from predators are the main practical concerns, alongside keeping birds cool once the mercury climbs.

Grooming

• Check the long tail feathers regularly for breakage, mud and soiling
• Keep bedding dry so the plumage stays clean and glossy
• Provide a dust bath to help keep external parasites down
• Check the vent and feather bases for lice and mites
• Trim and clean feet, and keep an eye on the multiple spurs cocks carry

Exercise

• Give daily access to a large run or supervised free range for foraging
• Provide elevated perches, since the breed likes to roost high
• Use a covered run or high fencing to contain their strong flight
• Offer scratch areas and ground cover for natural foraging

Environment

Sumatras cope with a range of conditions but do best with shelter from wind, rain and, across most of the country, harsh sun. The small pea comb is less prone to frostbite than a large single comb, which helps through the occasional cold snap in the southern states, but the bigger challenge for most keepers here is heat. Provide draft-free housing, plenty of airflow and generous shade in summer, along with cool, clean water that doesn't sit in the sun and go warm. Cocks' long tails need enough roost height and width to hang clear without dragging in the dirt.

The Sumatra is a keen forager, so a fair share of its diet can come from ranging when there's room for it. A complete commercial poultry feed should form the base of the diet and be matched to the bird's life stage. Keep water on hand at all times, topped up more often through summer heat, and provide insoluble grit to help foraging birds digest what they pick up.

Treats and supplements

Keep treats to a small part of the daily intake so the balanced ration stays the main food source. Suitable extras include leafy greens, vegetables and small amounts of grain or mealworms. Laying hens need a separate calcium source such as crushed oyster shell, offered free choice. Any bird that forages benefits from access to insoluble grit.

The Sumatra is a tough breed with few problems specific to it. With good housing, clean conditions and routine parasite control, birds commonly reach 6 to 9 years old. The small pea comb helps a little in cold weather by cutting frostbite risk, though for most keepers here the bigger threat runs the other way: heat stress in a bird carrying heavy, glossy plumage through a long, dry summer. Beyond that, the usual poultry concerns apply: parasites, respiratory infection and reproductive trouble in older hens.

Preventive care

• Keep housing clean, dry and well ventilated
• Provide a dust bath to help keep mites and lice down
• Run regular parasite checks and faecal monitoring
• Quarantine new birds before adding them to the flock
• Follow local vaccination and biosecurity guidance
• Provide clean water and a balanced ration year round, with extra water points through summer

Housing for Sumatras needs to allow for their strong flight and active foraging. A secure coop with high, sturdy perches suits their habit of roosting well off the ground. The attached run should be fully covered, since the breed clears ordinary fencing without much trouble. Give more space per bird than you would for a calmer breed, to keep stress and squabbling down, and factor in shade cloth or a shaded run area for the hotter months.

Setup checklist

• Predator-proof coop with secure latches and a solid floor or buried mesh skirt
• Covered run to stop escapes and keep aerial predators out
• High perches with enough width and clearance for long tail feathers
• Dry, deep bedding kept clean to protect the plumage
• Shaded area and shelter from wind and rain, with shade cloth over part of the run in summer
• Dust bath and clean water within the run, refreshed often in hot weather

Sumatra eggs follow the standard chicken incubation timeline and hatch in around 21 days. The breed keeps fairly strong broody and mothering instincts, so hens will often sit and raise chicks well if given the chance. For bigger numbers or tighter control, an incubator gives reliable results as long as settings stay within the normal range for chickens.

Hatching steps

1. Pick clean, well-shaped eggs and store them pointed end down for no more than 7 days before setting
2. Warm the eggs to room temperature before setting them in the incubator at the target temperature
3. Hold temperature and humidity steady, and turn the eggs through day 17
4. Stop turning on day 18, raise the humidity and move into lockdown
5. Let chicks hatch undisturbed, then move dried chicks to a warm brooder with starter feed and water