The Ayam Cemani is an Indonesian breed characterised by an exceptionally extensive expression of black pigmentation. The breed was introduced into the Netherlands in 1998 and into Germany at the beginning of the 21st century, according to the German breed standard. They were imported from Europe to the United States in 2014. None have been brought to Australia, but there have been a number of recreation projects under way. The German standard describes the Ayam Cemani as a light, mobile fowl with a gamefowl influence, long legs, a single comb and firm musculature.

General Characteristics

The Ayam Cemani should be a medium-sized, elegant, active and athletic bird, with a distinctly upright carriage and firm musculature. The overall impression should be of a light, alert and powerful fowl, rather than a heavy or coarse-bodied bird. The breed possesses a recognisable gamefowl character, but should remain elegant and well balanced rather than becoming excessively narrow, coarse or heavily muscled.

Male Characteristics

CARRIAGE

Proud, alert and upright, with a distinct gamefowl influence. 

TYPE

Body

Medium length; slim and elegant, somewhat broader towards the front; firm in musculature. The body should never appear bulky, coarse or excessively heavy.

Shoulders

Broad and rounded. The shoulders contribute to the characteristic broad-fronted appearance while retaining the slim overall body.

Breast

Full, rounded and carried high. The breast should be firm but should not appear excessively muscled or heavy.

Abdomen

Relatively little developed, consistent with the light, athletic character of the breed.

HEAD

Medium-sized, moderate in length, appearing relatively large in proportion to the body, having a moderate crown. The head and all visible head furnishings should display the characteristic intense black pigmentation. 

The face is smooth, clean, finely textured and black. The beak is strong, well-curved and black. The single comb is large and fleshy in texture, upright and firmly carried. The comb has four to six serrations. The comb blade should not follow the line of the neck and should be black. The wattles are of medium length, rounded and black. 

Ear-lobes are small, smooth in texture, oval-shaped and black. 

Eyes are large, prominent and lively. Eye colour is dark-brown to black-brown with blackish eyelids. 

NECK

Long and strong. The hackle is well developed and extends towards the shoulders. The neck should contribute to the proud, upright carriage without appearing excessively thick or coarse.

BACK

Medium length and flat, sloping down from the neck, becoming somewhat narrower towards the rear. The back should blend smoothly into the tail and maintain the characteristic slim, athletic outline. A coarse, excessively broad or poorly balanced back is undesirable.

WINGS

Strong, long and relatively large. They should be:

• high set;

• firmly held against the body;

• carried parallel to the body;

• and well folded.

SADDLE

The saddle feathering is relatively short and firm. The saddle should blend smoothly into the tail without producing a coarse or excessively heavy rear.

TAIL

The tail is carried fairly high and should be relatively little spread. The tail feathers should have hard shafts.

Sickles

Narrow, firm and of medium length.

Tail character

The tail should complement the upright, athletic character of the breed rather than appearing broad, loose or excessively fanned.

Note: There is an important point of difference between the German and current American standards. The German standard calls for a fairly high-carried tail with little spread, whereas the American ACBA standard specifies a tail carried at approximately 45° and broadly spread. The German description should therefore be retained when breeding specifically to the European type.

THIGHS, LEGS AND FEET

Thighs

Medium length, strong and full, with firm, close-fitting feathering. The lower thigh is short, thick and muscular, sloping slightly into the hock.The thighs should retain definition beneath the tight feathering and should not be hidden by excessive fluff. 

Shanks & Toes

Shanks long, fine-boned, smooth and black. Toes long, strong and well spread. Each foot has four toes, with the rear toe properly positioned and firmly placed on the ground. Toenails are black. The entire leg and foot should present a clean, intensely black appearance. 

FEMALE

The hen should correspond closely to the cock in all essential breed characteristics, allowing for normal sexual differences.

She is less upright in carriage than the male. The hen should retain:

• the slim, medium-length body;

• broad shoulders;

• full high breast;

• firm musculature;

• tight, hard feathering;

• long black legs;

• intense black pigmentation;

• and characteristic gamefowl type.

The head characteristics of the hen should show an even more intense black colouration than those of the cock.

PLUMAGE

The plumage should be very hard, narrow, firm, close fitting and with little development of fluff. The feathering should follow the contours of the body closely. Excessively soft, loose or fluffy feathering is a serious fault. The close-fitting feathering is important not merely for feather quality but also for maintaining the characteristic long, lean and athletic outline of the breed. Excessive down can obscure the thighs and make the bird appear shorter and heavier than its underlying structure.

COLOUR

Black - The plumage should be pure, deep black, with varying degrees of lustrous green sheen. The undercolour should be dull black. The black should be rich and even throughout the plumage.

Serious colour faults

• feathers of any colour other than black;

• dull or faded plumage;

• excessive blue sheen.

The German standard specifically calls for deep black with more or less green sheen and lists foreign-coloured feathers, dull colour and abundant blue sheen as serious faults.

PIGMENTATION

The Ayam Cemani is distinguished by an unusually extensive expression of fibromelanosis, producing black pigmentation throughout much of the body. The breed should exhibit intense black pigmentation of the skin, face, comb, wattles, earlobes, beak, shanks, toes, toenails and underlying musculature.

The German standard identifies black skin and musculature as defining breed characteristics. The current ACBA standard likewise describes thorough expression of fibromelanosis as a defining characteristic and requires intense black pigmentation of the visible head and leg structures. Incomplete pigmentation is undesirable.

Weight

Cock:  2.0–2.5 kg

Hen:  1.5–2.0 kg

Cockerel: 1.6-1.8kg

Pullet: 1.2-1.5kg

Eggs

Minimum hatching-egg weight - 40 g

The Ayam Cemani is primarily regarded as an ornamental breed rather than a high-production laying breed. The American standard similarly describes the breed as ornamental and gives the egg colour as white tinted to cream.

SCALE OF POINTS

While the APS does not include the Ayam Cemani or give points, the Dutch standards gives a useful points table where the allocations give breeders an idea of the importance of various features.

• Plumage Colour: 20

• Skin Colour: 30

• Type: 15

• Legs and feet: 10

• Head: 10

• Condition: 15

Total: 100

SERIOUS DEFECTS

• horizontal rather than upright body carriage;

• a coarse or bulky-looking body;

• weak or excessively soft musculature;

• narrow shoulders;

• tail carried excessively steeply or too flat;

• excessively low stance;

• hanging wings;

• soft, fluffy or excessively loose feathering;

• mulberry-coloured rather than black head furnishings;

• light-coloured eyes.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

(See General Disqualifications and Cutting for Defects.)

SOURCES

• US Site: https://ayamcemani.us/pages/standard-of-perfection

• German site: https://ayamcemani.us/pages/standard-of-perfection

• Dutch site: https://cemaniclub-deutschland.de/standard-2

• Breed history: https://www.ayamcemani.co.uk/breed-history.html

• Greenfire Farms in the US: https://greenfirefarms.com/products/ayam-cemani?_pos=1&_psid=5fa1661ee&_psq=cmn&_ss=e