I know this has been discussed before, I couldn't locate the thread in the old posts. Does anyone raise black meated chickens? Are the Cemani and Kedu the only black meated chickens or does the Sumatra count too? Also, what does the meat taste like? I know these birds are popular in Indonesia and in other areas of asia. Here is a picture of the meat Poultry

Thanks for any info!

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 15, 2002

Answers

I think it's the skin of that bird that is black, not the meat. I once had a silky chicken that had black skin.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), April 15, 2002.

Terri, here is another picture of the meat. It's black. Dutch Cemani

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 15, 2002.

Let me see if this will work better Dutch Cemanis

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 15, 2002.

Too weird!!!!!!!!!!

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), April 15, 2002.

Yuck. I'm open minded about new food but black chicken meat? It looks burnt before it's cooked.

Stacy in NY

-- Stacy (KincoraFarm@aol.com), April 15, 2002.

Thanks for sharing the websites with us. I didn't realize there were black meat chickens. I will be buying chickens next year just for eggs and liked the looks of these chickens. What color are their eggs? Might consider getting some just because of how the birds look.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 15, 2002.

LOL! I guess the black meat doesn't bother me, I'm a fan of oriental food. Colleen, I am guessing that the eggs are brown, I'm still looking for info. The earlier poster was wanting to raise them for the ethnic community in his area. I can't find his thread on this. I'll keep digging. Thanks!

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 15, 2002.

here's a site for chicken info, egg,clour,laying,temperment,ect. the "i-c you-c chicken chart!

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

don't recal it listing meat colour, but being a vegetarian my self i mighta overlooked that bit of info! :)

speaking of asian chickens, did y'all see the aseel/asils that went for over 4,500.oo on eggbay? 25 straigt run chicks from ideal hatchery.

-- bj pepper ,in central MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), April 15, 2002.

Yo, Cowgirl. I raise Silkie bantams and no matter what the feather/down color, they have back skin and meat. It ain't pretty.

And by the way, your little private peptalk to me some time ago kept me comming back. I just wonder how long it takes to be "one of the gang" or maybe it is like "old money and new money" :8)

-- Bonnie in indiana (queqid@att.net), April 15, 2002.

Might try these sites:

The Cemani Site”, http://www.geocities.com/jan_steverink/

H’mong Chicken, http://www.vcn.vnn.vn/qg/H'mong% 20black%20-%20black%20meat%20chicken.htm

Taihe, Xiang xi province, china, http://www.nju.edu.cn/foode/animal/b124.htm

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.

Hi Bonnie, do the silkies taste different or is it just the coloring is different. We have only had one silky in the past & traded her since we couldn't find a rooster. So I never saw the meat color. Cowgirl, did you find a source of chicks in the US ? I would like to have a few just because they're different. Probably not much market for them in southern KY; closest Asian community would be in Nashville about 100 mi from me, but I like odd/rare breeds. Thanks for the info, they sure are different. Blessings, Kathy

-- Kathy (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.

Bonnie, glad you are still here!! I think anyone is "One of the Gang" if they keep posting and helping others as much as possible, see, you ARE one of the gang! Have you ever cooked your silkies? Just wondering what the meat would be like. Thanks for the help!

b.j. and B.C., thanks for the sites, I just walked in from chores and I'm going to check them out. I missed the expensive ones on eggbay, can't believe how high they went, Wow! Thanks!!

Kathy, I haven't found a source yet, but I'm certain that there is one. Asian markets in larger citys carry the meat. I'll let you know as soon as I find one. Thanks for the help.

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 15, 2002.

Yes the silkies have black meat, bones, and skin. I was watching Iron Chef on the food network one night; and the Chef was cooking silkie chicken. It started out black, but he boiled it in soup. Black meat turns a repulsive grey color when cooked. I am sure it tastes fine, buuuuut! In certain Asian cuisines silkie chicken meat is considered medicinal, especially for female problems.

-- Deidre Edder (edderland@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.

That is so bizarre! I'd love to get some without telling the kids. Then, when I cook them, I could tell them they're eating bats. LOL (OK, so I'm a little warped)

-- Gayle in KY (gayleannesmith@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.

Well I certainly learned something here today! I have had chickens all my life, and occasionly buy and sell roosters for the ethnic market.

I always assumed the silkie was blacked skinned, I didn't know it went so deep! The silkies have always brought good money at the auctions and I wondered why.

Thanks for teaching me something NEW! I hope to use it in my rooster sales!

-- Mark in N.C. Florida (deadgoatman@webtv.net), April 15, 2002.

Bizarre! I want to get some Cayuga ducks because they lay black/grey eggs. Never saw a LIVE animal with black meat!! VERY strange. I see Silkies frozen at the Asia market and wondered why they were so special! And, Bonnie? Glad to have another from INDIANA!! :>

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), April 16, 2002.

Kathy-----------I don't know what they taste like--I couldn't eat one of MY birds. I have bred the Naked neck gene into my silkies and the long skinny BLACK neck is really something to behold. And I sure would not like to eat it-just one of those "oh gross". things Thanks everybody for the comments directed to me---makes me feel like one of the gang. Gailann---------Do them ducks relly lay blck eggs???

-- Bonnie in indiana (queqid@att.net), April 16, 2002.

Gayle in KY, you sound as warped as me!! . We used to play practical jokes on our son, now he's 23 and doesn't fall for them anymore. I suppose we 'warped' him but he learned to pull some pretty good jokes early. I was able to pull one on my husband recently, I have one bantam hen who lays the cutest small tan eggs. One morning I got up really early, went out to the henhouse and replaced her egg with the biggest dark brown egg I could buy (double yolk). She's the only hen laying at this point. I asked my city raised husband to collect the egg while I did the feeding. You should have heard the shouting when he found that egg!! It took him about 2 hrs before he started wondering why/how that tiny chicken could lay such a huge egg. I know it was kinda mean, but it sure was fun. LOL Have a great day. Kathy

-- Kathy (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

Hey, Girls:

The Chinese use of silkies in medicine is said to go back as far as recorded history. I sold silkies last summer to a Chinese food store, and the proprietor there passed them on to people within driving range of her store, at least 100 miles around.

She told me they were good for "ladies problems", stomach and lungs, joint pains and especially good for old men. She prescribed a ginseng and black-chicken soup for me, told me it would make me "Like young man again!" (I took no offense at her assumption that I needed the treatment; young people tend to assume that their elders are infirm.)

One thing I learned is that the use of chicken medicine included topical application of the split bird for some ailments, cooking into specified dishes with various herbs for others.

The literature lists a number of black skinned chickens, but so far as I know only the silkie is used for medicine. A few years ago some fellow discovered the Maya in Mexico breeding silkies and using them for medicine, and from that postulated a Chinese connection. Who knows.

Mac

-- Jimmy S (Macrocarpus@gbronline.com), April 16, 2002.

I appreciate all the info, thanks everyone! I didn't realize that silkies were used for the black meat, I was looking for a standard sized bird. Mac, did you sell your birds cleaned or "on the hoof". Sounds like a good market for them in your area. Mark, maybe you should up the price on your roosters. Might be a good money maker for you.

Bonnie, I would like to see your black necked Naked Necks, (try saying that fast 3 times) what a sight!

Diedre, I missed that Iron chef episode, would have loved to see it. I swear, he will cook anything and make it look good.

Kathy and Gayle, you have warped minds just like me! LOL!

Gailann, I am thinking about getting some of those Cayuga ducks too. I like the looks of the dark eggs. Thanks everyone for the help, I did find a Swedish breed "Svarthons" with the black meat, I also ran across a site that has several breeds pictured if you are interested. Avian Web Best wishes!

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

I once cut a round steak round and round to make one long, skinny piece, then cooked it. I told the kids it was snake. They went to school and told their teachers I fed them snake. By the end of the day, Social Services was at my door. I was laughing so hard I almost couldn't tell them what I had done.

-- Gayle in KY (gayleannesmith@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

I've been away and just found this thread. I looked at that black chicken meat and thought "It's a BAT!" LOL! I don't have kids to tease though! ;-)

-- Joy F {in Southern Wisconsin} (CatFlunky@excite.com), April 17, 2002.

Im strangly attracted to this black meat

-- LJ Vespia (xnycowboy@aol.com), April 21, 2002.