Asil chickens, one of the most unique breeds of chickens, came from India, specifically the Hyderabad region. This type of bird is a very self-sufficient breed that can live in the open.

They are slow-growing birds if bought from chicks. Asil chicken is a cockfighting chicken race with high stamina, aggressiveness, and mighty gait. This chicken breed can cope and thrive under harsh climatic conditions.

Asil roosters need to be kept separated from each other or they will fight till death. These are human-friendly chickens that can be easily tamed and kept in the houses.

This is the only chicken breed that needs no conservation but because of their flavorful meat and desirable taste, their population needs to be conserved.

History

Asil is an Arabic word meaning “purebred”. The bird is thought to be one of the ancient breeds of fighting cocks that were solely created for the fighting purpose.

The Asil breed is believed to have originated from the Subcontinent and its history dates back to the earliest Nineteenth century.

The very first, Bantam Asil was bred in Britain by a British breeder. The bloodline died out after 20 years and vanished. In the 1980s, another breeder experimented with creating Bantam in Belgium and today it is the most popular breed in Holland, Belgium, and Germany.

Appearance

The Asil chicken has an elegant and game bird-like appearance. It has a compact upright body with multi-colored plumage, a yellow beak that is curved and strong, dark eyes, and yellow legs and skin. They have clean legs with four well-spaced toes and short claws on each foot.

The spurs grow very big and require regular clipping to avoid injuring other chickens especially when chaos breaks out.

The Asil chickens are very beautiful and colorful birds and have a wide variety available depending on the color of their feathers and size.

They are muscular birds and have red pea combs. These birds are remarkably athletic and have tight feathers and their erect and upright body seems to be always ready for anything.

Notable Distinctive Features

The Asil is said to have a large heart compared to their bodies and small intestines. Both males and females have short and hard feathers, held tightly to their bodies. These chickens are slow-growing and have meaty carcasses.

The Asil breed has served in the crossbreeding to produce very meaty carcasses in its offspring. This breed is claimed to be genius for a chicken. These chickens when touched or tickled lightly near the vent begin to preen and oil their feathers.

The Asil breed does not look fluffy like other average chickens. They seem to look lighter than they appear. They weigh around 4.5 lbs.

The maximum weight that an average Asil chicken will hit is 5.5 lb. (2.5 kg), although there are some versions of this breed in India that can hit 13 – 15 lb. (6kg-7kg).

Additionally, they have beautiful long tails that look like they are sporting their cape. The chickens hold such confidence and elegance that clearly show that it is always ready for a battle.

Varieties

There are a variety of different colors for this breed, but the vast majority of them are going to be black or red.

Kili Mooku

This variety of Asil is very muscular and tall with a very long, beautiful tail and short beaks. This variety is referred to as warriors with proud gait.

Madras Asil

It is a very huge Asil chicken with a normal tail and nose. These chickens are mainly used for knife-fighting.

Reza Asil

This is a popular and the oldest breed of Asil that grows up to 50 cm tall. Hens weigh around 1.8 kg and roosters up to 3 kgs.

Kulang Asil

These are bluish-black, known for their gameness. They weigh up to 5 to 7 kgs and are 75 cm tall.

Sindhi Asil

These are typically the “fighting chickens”. They are tall and heavy and have a very aggressive nature. They have large beaks, hard feathers held tightly to their body, and broad chests with slender bodies.

Egg Facts

The Asil hens are seasonal and poor egg layers, laying 40 eggs in a year that weigh around 40 grams. However, they can be used to raise the eggs of birds that do not get broody.

The eggs are shelled, creamy brownish and sometimes the number of eggs can drop down to a single digit.

Asil hens are great Mamas, they will protect their young ones at all costs. They are so brave that they even battle snakes to protect their eggs and chickens.

Personality & Temperament

The Asil is known to be aggressive because they were produced to fight. The small chickens are known to grapple with other chickens whenever they can to the point of injuring and wounding.

They tend to require more space to grow up as compared to other chicken breeds. As they are slow growers, they tend to take time to get mature.

While most hens are known to be calm and friendly, Asil hens tend to have very fiery personalities. They fight with other hens and injure them.

Asil roosters are no exception. It would be a very bad idea to leave 2 roosters together in the same place as they will fight to the death.

However, Asil chickens are very friendly with their handlers. They tend to protect their owner at all costs and help in daily chores like opening doors.

With enough discipline and training, Asil chickens can be great around kids. They tend to be happier and play with them. They might even become protectors of young ones too.

Summary

If you want to raise a gaming bird, Asil is the one. This chicken breed entered the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1981.

They have a very protective nature towards their young ones and their handlers. It is a domestic, free-living bird with relatively low fertility.

They are generally docile and are known for their ability to fight to the death. They are powerful birds known for their fighting abilities. They enhance the beauty of the backyard with their beautiful colors and tall, slender body.

sources

Ekarius, Carol. “Chickens: Aseel.” Pocketful of Poultry: Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys. North Adams, MA: Storey Pub., 2007. 26-27. Print.

Lewis, Celia. “Breed Profiles: Aseel, Asil or Reza Asil.” The Illustrated Guide to Chickens: How to Choose Them, How to Keep Them. New York: Skyhorse Pub., 2011. 48-49. Print.

Platt, Frank L. 1925. All Breeds of Poultry, Origin: History: Description, Mating and Characteristics. American Poultry Journal. Chicago.