Are Sumatras good for showing?

Yes — showing is really what the breed is for. They're exhibited in the APA's **All Other Standard Breeds** class in Black, Blue, and White, judged on the long flowing tail, the depth of the beetle-green sheen, the dark gypsy face, and overall type. Multiple spurs and dark shanks are positives.

How hard are Sumatras to hatch?

No harder than any chicken — **99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch**. The eggs just run small. Sumatra hens are also reliably broody and make good mothers, so a natural hatch is a real option.

Why do Sumatra roosters have multiple spurs?

It's a breed trait. Mature Sumatra cocks frequently grow **more than one spur per leg** — sometimes several — and exhibitors value it rather than treating it as a defect. Keep it in mind when selecting breeding males.

What is a gypsy face on a Sumatra?

A **gypsy face** means the face, comb, wattles, and earlobes are very dark — purple to nearly black — rather than bright red. It's a signature of the breed, paired with dark shanks. A pale or bright-red face is a fault.

Are Sumatras good for a backyard flock?

They can be, but they're **flighty, active, strong fliers** that prefer to roost high, so they suit experienced keepers with secure, tall housing more than beginners. They're kept as ornamental and heritage birds rather than for eggs or meat.

Sumatra: The Ornamental Longtail Fowl

Q: What color eggs do Sumatras lay?

Small **white-to-tinted** eggs. The Sumatra is an ornamental breed rather than a production layer, so lay is modest and seasonal — keep them for looks and exhibition, not for the egg basket.

Verified September 2026White eggs

The short version

The Sumatra is an ornamental heritage breed prized for its long, flowing tail, lustrous beetle-green black plumage, and dark gypsy (purple-to-black) face. Originating in the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, the Black was admitted to the APA in 1883; the breed also comes in Blue and White. It lays a small white-to-tinted egg, and mature males often carry multiple spurs on each leg — a hallmark that sets the breed apart. It is exhibited in the All Other Standard Breeds (AOSB) class.

APA class: AOSB

Egg color: White–Tinted

Broodiness: Frequently broody

Varieties: 3

Egg-color genetics

The Sumatra is not an egg breed. Hens lay a small white-to-tinted egg — the shell shows no blue or brown pigment worth breeding for — and production is modest and seasonal. This is an ornamental and exhibition fowl first, so select for plumage, tail, and type rather than shell color or output.

Why the Sumatra is kept as an ornamental breed

The Sumatra earns its keep on looks, not on the table or in the nest box. A good Black Sumatra is a dramatic bird: long, low, flowing tail with multiple sickles, an all-over lustrous black plumage that flashes green (beetle-green) in the sun, a dark gypsy face, dark shanks, and often multiple spurs on each leg. Those traits are why it is exhibited and kept by heritage-breed enthusiasts rather than commercial keepers.

It is a flighty, active, athletic fowl — a strong flier that prefers to roost high and is quick to escape upward from a perceived threat. That makes it a poor fit for a casual backyard flock and a better fit for keepers with secure, tall housing who want a rare ornamental bird. The Livestock Conservancy lists the breed as threatened, so responsible breeders also play a role in its conservation.

What color eggs do Sumatras lay?

Small white-to-tinted eggs, and not many of them — the Sumatra is an ornamental and exhibition breed, not a production layer. If you keep Sumatras, do it for the plumage and tail, and treat any eggs as a bonus rather than the reason for the flock.

Breeding notes

Breed for the signature tail: the Sumatra's long, low, flowing tail with multiple sickles and abundant coverts is the whole point of the breed. Select cocks whose tail carries well past the body without breaking or dragging, and keep breeders on clean, dry litter so the sweeping feathers stay unbroken.
Chase the beetle-green sheen. In the Black, the plumage should read as a deep, lustrous black with a rich green (beetle-green) iridescence rather than a purple or dull cast — cull birds showing purple barring or a matte finish, and never breed from birds carrying stray white or red feathers.
The gypsy (dark) face is a breed signature: aim for face, comb, wattles, and earlobes as dark as possible — purple to nearly black — along with dark shanks. Pale or bright-red faces are a serious fault in this ornamental breed.
Multiple spurs are a Sumatra trait, not a defect: mature males frequently carry more than one spur per leg, sometimes several. Exhibitors value the trait, so keep it in mind when selecting breeding cocks rather than discarding multi-spurred birds.
This is an ornamental/heritage line, so weigh type, tail, and color far above egg numbers. Blue is a dilution of black and will not breed uniformly true — Blue × Blue throws Blacks and Splashes as well as Blues — so keep color pens separate and expect variability in the Blue pen.

Showing notes

Exhibited in the APA's All Other Standard Breeds (AOSB) class; enter by variety (e.g. 'Black Sumatra, large fowl'). Judges look hardest at the flowing tail, overall sweep of the bird, and the depth of the green sheen on black plumage.
Condition matters enormously with a longtail breed: the tail and sickles must be clean, unbroken, and full. House show birds where the tail will not drag in mud or get chewed, and keep them out of harsh sun that can fade the green sheen to a dull or reddish cast.
The dark gypsy face, dark shanks, and multiple spurs are all positives on the show table. Brassiness or fading in the plumage, a bright-red face, or a short/carried-up tail all count against the bird.

Hatching & incubation

No special incubation requirements — treat Sumatra eggs like any chicken egg: 99.5–100°F forced-air, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch. The eggs simply run small, so expect small chicks.
Sumatra hens are genuinely broody and can make excellent mothers, so a natural hatch under a hen is realistic — an advantage over many exhibition breeds that will not set.

Recognized varieties

BlackBlueWhite

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Sumatras lay?: Small white-to-tinted eggs. The Sumatra is an ornamental breed rather than a production layer, so lay is modest and seasonal — keep them for looks and exhibition, not for the egg basket.
Are Sumatras good for showing?: Yes — showing is really what the breed is for. They're exhibited in the APA's All Other Standard Breeds class in Black, Blue, and White, judged on the long flowing tail, the depth of the beetle-green sheen, the dark gypsy face, and overall type. Multiple spurs and dark shanks are positives.
How hard are Sumatras to hatch?: No harder than any chicken — 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch. The eggs just run small. Sumatra hens are also reliably broody and make good mothers, so a natural hatch is a real option.
Why do Sumatra roosters have multiple spurs?: It's a breed trait. Mature Sumatra cocks frequently grow more than one spur per leg — sometimes several — and exhibitors value it rather than treating it as a defect. Keep it in mind when selecting breeding males.
What is a gypsy face on a Sumatra?: A gypsy face means the face, comb, wattles, and earlobes are very dark — purple to nearly black — rather than bright red. It's a signature of the breed, paired with dark shanks. A pale or bright-red face is a fault.
Are Sumatras good for a backyard flock?: They can be, but they're flighty, active, strong fliers that prefer to roost high, so they suit experienced keepers with secure, tall housing more than beginners. They're kept as ornamental and heritage birds rather than for eggs or meat.

Sources

Sumatra Chicken (breed overview, egg color, varieties, status) — The Livestock Conservancy (Breed club)
Black Sumatra (varieties, plumage, temperament, longtail care) — Cackle Hatchery (Hatchery)

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