Competitions and rivalries in chicken contests are fine. However, communities remain a “family” when members can share with each other.
By
Stefanus Osa Triyatna
·5 minutes read
Kompas/Stefanus Osa Triyatna
The Greater Tangerang Ornamental Chicken Community gathers with several chickens on Saturday (25/11). The community meeting in Pamulang, South Tangerang, Banten, was held at a chicken shed belonging to an ornamental chicken farmer.
Competitions and rivalries in chicken contests are fine. However, communities remain a “family” when members can share with each other. The Ornamental Chicken Community is committed to serving as a network for all chicken hobbyists wishing to join in.
“We do not limit our community memberships to hobbyists of certain types of chicken. [The important thing is] how new people can join the community to share and foster their hobby,” Great Tangerang Ornamental Chicken Community branch head Doni Susanto said in a community gathering in Pamulang, South Tangerang, on Saturday (25/11/2017).
The gathering was held to prepare all community members for a familiarization event for ornamental chicken hobbyists at the Pet Kingdom in Alam Sutera, South Tangerang, on December 9-17. The event was held to prepare a contest for ornamental chicken, whose popularity has been rising in Indonesia in recent years. Ornamental chicken contests will hopefully foster ornamental chicken hobbyists and will prepare participants to participated Asia-level competitions.
The community of ornamental chicken hobbyists was established in 2015. However, only 30 of its 60 members are estimated to be “active members”. Members gather more in the past year, after they understand the importance of sharing knowledge with other members.
Bantam chicken, “laughing chicken”
Usually, only owners of certain types of chickens participate in contests. For instance, only serama chicken owners participate in serama chicken contests. Other members attended the contests only to provide encouragement. Serama chicken has a similar appearance to the small Bantam chicken (ayam katai). Uniquely, the chicken can appear to stand upright, with its chest puffed out upward like it is ready to pick up a fight.
Similarly, contests for “laughing chicken”, pelung and cemani chicken only see participation from owners of these types of chicken. Other members attended the contests just to join in the fun while also learning about the contests.
Community coordinator Farry, considered a senior among ornamental chicken hobbyists, said the appraisal of chicken’s sound rhythm was commonly done on the laughing chicken (hailing from Sidenreng Rappang regency in South Sulawesi), bekisar (from East Java), kokobalengge (from West Sumatra), gaok or kekok chicken (from Madura) and pelung chicken (from Cianjur in West Java).
“Based on the long duration of the chicken’s sound, members of the jury can usually split the sound into three rhythmic phases, namely the opening rhythm, the peak rhythm and the closing rhythm. Members of the jury are certified individuals. Not everyone can serve in the jury,” Farry said.
Community members are also well-versed on the different types and names of chickens. Sumatran chicken, for instance, have between five to seven pairs of spurs on their feet. The English call these chicken speckled chicken (ayam jalak) due to its shiny black plumage. Some call it ebon chicken as its black plumage looks like the color of ebony wood, thus giving it the name Sumatran ebony game chicken.
This Sumatran breed of chicken is deemed rare these day. Community members obtain these chickens from the US. They reportedly imported the chicken from the US and fostered it locally. The Sumatran chicken has been unbeatable in chicken contests in the US for decades. Some also brought the chicken from the US to Germany to be developed in Europe.
“Here, we used to mix our chicken in our farm. We cannot trace back their genes anymore. Meanwhile, chicken farmers in other countries are more consistent. Sumatran chickens are mated only with other Sumatran chickens in a separate coop with maintained food supply,” Farry said.
The community also wished to spread a new mindset on chicken farming. The cemani chicken from Temanggung in Central Java, for instance, used to be seen as being mystical. The community wishes to see the chicken as ornamental chicken. Globally, cemani chickens’ popularity is booming.
In the US, the cemani chicken is considered Indonesia’s Lamborghini. The chicken is mated with other types of chicken, resulting in progenies with more attractive looks. A similar method can also be applied to other chickens.
As expensive as cars
Members of the Ornamental Chicken Community are astonished. Chickens that win in one contest may not be able to repeat their victory in other contests. The serama chicken Chickens has a contest at South East Asia-level held routinely every year.
In mid-December, a South East Asia serama chicken competition will be held in Kediri, East Java. All of these contests benefit their participants. Even when their chickens do not win the competition, they may attract other participants or visitors to purchase them.
As a collector, Dumadi said that there were people who really wish to own serama chicken. The most expensive serama chicken on record was sold for Rp 180 million (US$13,320). Some serama chickens were also sold for Rp 120 million or Rp 160 million. The lowest offer was Rp 25 million. Contest-winning laughing chickens can be sold for Rp 125 million.
“Some are as expensive as cars, others as expensive as motorbikes,” Farry said.
In almost every contest, winners’ level of satisfaction was not determined by the size of trophies or the amount of money won. Participation and meeting up with other ornamental chicken hobbyists are already sources of happiness. People may offer a lot of money for these hobbyists’ chickens – but not all of them want to let their prized chickens go.
