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You may be wondering, “What makes these Wowzerful black birds look the way they do?”
Well, it all comes down to genetics!
Sometime in the past, likely hundreds of years ago, someone found an all-black chicken and thought it looked amazing.
They continued to breed them, which encouraged this genetic mutation.
They slowly began to spread throughout portions of the Eastern hemisphere—they had a unique ability to catch the attention of traders, and some people believed they possessed magical powers.
The Javanese people initially believed these birds could help bridge the gap between the lands of the living and the dead, and used them in rituals to try to gain the favour of their ancestors, ward off ghosts, and perform other-worldly rituals!
Today, scientists know what causes their unique colouring—it’s a condition called fibromelanosis.
This means that melanin-producing cells—the same cells that determine our skin and eye colours—migrate to other areas of the chicken’s body as it develops.
Once the cells begin to spread, they reproduce endlessly, resulting in not just black feathers but black muscles, bones, eyes, feet, and more!
But while their pigmentation is ultra-rich and dark, the black isn’t always true black.
Many birds exhibit a green or purple sheen, almost like oil on water, or the shimmering rainbow you’d see on a bubble as it floats through the air.
Three other chicken breeds also exhibit this trait: the Swedish Bohuslän-Dals Svarthöna, the Vietnamese Black H’Mong, and the Chinese Silkie.
Scientists believe that if you trace the lineage of these chicken breeds back far enough, you’d probably find a common all-black ancestor.
Today, the chicken is mainly considered a status symbol and is and often kept by the wealthy, or people of royal lineage.
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