MY SUMATRA BANTAMS By: Martin Timmerman (NL) Sumatra fowl (Ayam Gallak) originally come from the island of Sumatra (part of the Indonesian Sunda Islands). The bantam version of the black Sumatra was created in Holland around 1930. Editor. Below: A cockerel of almost 1 year old.
Below: The same cock, one year later, weight ± 1000 grams. As you can see, especially the males need time to fully mature and feather out. Now that he shows his quality and nobility, he is suitable for breeding. If you look at the tail sickles at the implant of the tail, you will see that they are still blood feathers (the quill is softer and bluish-purple in colour). Thus they are actively growing, although very slowly. In my line, sickles of more than 1 meter are regularly seen - if they remain intact.. Below: The cock is luring the hens.
Left and below: He singles one out. Right:. and mates her discretely behind a rock. Below: Now the hens can enjoy the sunshine.
Above: Note the tail feathers of the hens, they should be wide and rounded and preferably slightly curved. Also select hens with the fullest and somewhat longer saddle feathers (cushion), as they will give sons with a full, long tail. Sumatra and Sumatra bantams have a very rich but adjoining plumage (not fluffy). The shafts of the feathers are rigid/ hard. The tail of the cock is long and abundantly feathered. The sickle feathers curve at two-thirds of their length and droop downwards but should not drag on the soil. The females have relatively long tail feathers too. Editor.
They have a small head with a small triple peacomb. The colour of the comb and face is often purple, more obvious in the hen, compared to the cock. The eye colour should be as dark as possible. But the iris and the pupil should be visible. Left: Head study of a cock. Below: Multiple spurs is a characteristic of this breed. The shanks are dark-coloured and, according to the Dutch Poultry Standard, the sole of the feet should be yellow. In the United States white soles are not considered to be a problem, and consequently accepted. Sumatra males and Sumatra bantam males often have multiple spurs. At day-old chicks you can already see whether they have one or more spurs, a feature noticeable in the female chicks as well. This is important when choosing the hens for the breeding pen, as they will pass this characteristic to their sons. A small fault of the rudimentary spur of the mother hen will show full size at their sons. The spurs of the males will not necessarily grow as large as shown in the photo.
Sumatra bantams are always alert, they can run fast and are able to fly high and far. If they have a choice between sleeping in a coop or in a tree, then in most cases they will choose the last option. Editor. Above: When a sparrow-hawk flies over, they are alert.
Due to their behaviour, Sumatra bantams need large spacious coops and high mounted roosts. They also need this to keep their plumage (tail) and overall condition (muscles) in good shape. Sumatra bantams are strong birds with a high resistance. To keep them in optimal health it is advised to give them dry and windproof housing for the night. Editor. Right: These young males have to be patient for a while, but their time will come. To end with When everything goes as planned, there will be some excess birds available for those who are interested. I don t select early as I prefer to see them mature and develop their full size and plumage. This holds for both males and females. In the case of the males, particularly, it takes a long time before they show their full glory. Only after the moult in their second year can they be judged for their qualities. I think that is the main reason why you only see these beautiful chickens seldom at the shows. If you want to know more on these bantams or you are interested to purchase some, please contact: Martin Timmerman, Zierikzee, the Netherlands. E-mail martintimmerman@planet.nl Copyright 2012 Aviculture-Europe. All rights reserved by VBC.