Black Chicken: The Reason Why Its Price Is High

The way an ordinary Bangladeshi can think of eating fried chicken or the meat of bird species, almost no one thinks of black chicken.

Because it is a common fact that black chicken is not known to most people in Bangladesh. And this black chicken is called the most expensive chicken in the world.

This chicken is now being farmed commercially in Bangladesh. And poultry owners say it has become increasingly popular with farmers over the past few years.

What is a black chicken? What are its features?

From the crest of the black chicken's head to the legs, that is, all its limbs are black. Feathers, skin, lips, nails, crests, tongue, flesh and even bones up to black.

(Photo: Collected)

According to researchers, government officials and farmers, the black chicken is a rare species of chicken.

It is native to the island of Java, Indonesia.

Its real name is Ayam Kemani, in Indonesian Ayam means chicken and Kemani means completely black.

In Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh of India this chicken is known as Kadaknath or Kalomasi.

Black chickens have been brought to Bangladesh from Madhya Pradesh, India.

Maksuda Begum, an assistant professor at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, told the BBC that agronomists in Bangladesh know it as Kedarnath Breed or Kalomasi.

Black chicken in Bangladesh

Kadaknath chicken first came to Bangladesh in 2016. Kamrul Islam Masud of Narsingdi district in Bangladesh went to India for work that year and was amazed to eat black chicken.

Then he brought it to the country and started production.

He told the BBC: "I find out that meat tastes different and tasty than domestic chicken, so when I find out about its quality, I think about its production in the country."

At the beginning, Mr. came with 300 roosters and chickens. Islam.

Now his farm raises two to two and a half thousand black chicks a month.

Usually the weight of this chicken or rooster can be from two to two and a half kg.

Apart from Narsingdi, a large scale black chicken farm has been set up at Bagmara in Rajshahi.

The price of black chicken

Narsingdi farmer Kamrul Islam said a pair of black chickens and a rooster cost Tk 4,000 at the moment.

But in 2016, a pair of chickens and roosters cost ten thousand rupees.

A full grown chicken costs two and a half thousand rupees, and a rooster costs one and a half thousand rupees.

Each hen lays 120 to 150 eggs a year.

However, this hen does not lay eggs. It is given under a local chicken to hatch, or artificially incubated in an incubator.

One-month-old babies are sold at Rs 800 to Rs 900 and two-month-old babies at Rs 1,200.

Mr. Islam says people buy more roosters to eat.

But he said, "People still eat this chicken as a hobby. But people have taken babies from me in 64 districts of the country. They are also keeping them. Some people eat and some produce new ones."

Nutrition of black chicken

Many people think that black chicken cures various diseases. That is why most of the people who are still buying these chickens are buying for this reason, said Mr. Narsingdi. Islam.

This chicken is appreciated in many parts of Bangladesh for its medicinal properties.

Maksuda Begum, an assistant professor at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, said the meat of this chicken tastes better than the local chicken.

Black chicken meat is also rich in antioxidants and iron in terms of nutritional value.

In addition, the level of cholesterol in the meat of this chicken is much lower than normal chicken.

Low in cholesterol, these chickens help control blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

This chicken meat has a lot of fatty acid content. But protein levels are several times higher than all other chicken meats.

What are the chances of becoming popular?

Maksuda Begum, an assistant professor at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, said there was a lot of potential, although the social acceptance of the chicken was growing very slowly.

The reason for this, he said, is that it takes about six months for a hen to be ready to lay eggs, by which time the farm has to keep it, whereas if other broilers or golden hens lay eggs a few times, their fertility is limited.

However, the production cost of Kadaknath chicken is low, and its disease resistance is high, which is why farmers are interested in commercial production of this chicken.

Now the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute and agricultural scientists are conducting various studies to find out whether any breed of domestic chicken can be artificially bred to increase its production capacity.

*The writer works at BBC Bangla

  Source: BBC Bangla