Asian Black chickens are a relatively new breed of chicken, but they’ve piqued the interest of chicken hobbyists as they have one of the more unique and stunning-looking coats of feathers.
They have striking black feathers with some subtle red and gold, usually around the neck, and their plumage gives off a blueish green hue when the sunlight hits them from different angles.
They lay medium-sized brown eggs, not too dissimilar in color to the regular color eggs you expect to find in your local grocery store.
Asian Black chickens are fairly rare in the US, so be prepared to do some searching if you’re interested in raising some yourself.
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What Color Eggs Do Asian Black Chickens Lay?
There is a general misconception that black chickens, especially breeds like the Ayman Cemani and Silkies that have black skin and even black organs, lay black eggs.
I’m sorry to dispel that myth, but there is not a breed of chicken that lays black eggs.
If you’ve seen black eggs, and I’m sure you may have seen some online at some point, these have been painted black or are fake eggs.
Asian Black chickens lay brown eggs.
This breed is not to be confused with the Ayman Cemani breed, which does look similar (although they noticeably have black wattles, combs, and skin) but lay cream-colored eggs.
Related - Do some black chickens lay black eggs?
What Are Black Asian Chickens?
Black Asian chickens, also called the Asian Black is a relatively newly developed dual-purpose breed of chicken.
I researched the origin of the Asian Black and at this point, there really doesn’t seem to be any reliable information as to exactly how the breed was developed.
The one thing most breeders and online hatcheries agree on is that the Langshan breed was used to create the Asian Black, and this seems to make sense.
The Langshan originated in China and has a lot of similarities to the Asian Black.
It has a similar black coat of feathers, although lacking the green and blue iridescence, and a red comb and wattles.
Asian Blacks also have darker color legs, almost a gray-greenish color, and black coloring around the eyes, giving them a darker overall appearance.
I see hatcheries selling a wide range of sex-lined and cross-bred black chickens that are not Asian Blacks.
If you want an Asian Black, make sure you tell the hatchery exactly what you’re looking for.
Also, Hoover’s Hatchery says <5% hatch a buff color, so don’t be too shocked if you have a buff-colored chicken developing in front of your eyes, not a black one!
Here is a video of an Asian Black to help give you a glance of what they look and move around like:
Related - I explain the spiritual meaning of black chickens! And, here is a list of awesome names for black chickens.
Are Black Asian Chickens Broody?
I reached out to an online hatchery and someone who owns Asian Blacks and asked them if they considered them as broody.
Both replied, ‘no’, and said that they didn’t consider Black Asians to be broody.
The breed was developed to be a dual-purpose bird, meaning they are large birds that can be used for their meat and also great layers.
Generally speaking, breeds that are developed as dual-purpose birds are not intended to be broody if possible as this only hinders the number of eggs being produced.
This doesn’t mean you can’t encourage your Black Asian hens to go broody and sit on a clutch of eggs though.
If you want to see one of your hens hatch some young stop, assuming you know the eggs are fertilized, stop collecting her eggs and provide a nice nesting spot - that should do the trick.
How Many Eggs Do Black Asian Chickens Lay?
Asian Blacks start laying eggs around 5 months of age, so around 20 weeks.
It takes a few weeks for them to get up to peak production, but once they’re laying regularly and have everything they need - you can expect around 250 eggs per year.
That puts Asian Blacks up there with some of the most prolific egg-laying backyard breeds like the California White, Rhode Island Red, Sussex, and some other champion layers.
In Summary
Contrary to what you may have heard - or what you hope for - Asian Black chickens lay brown eggs, not black.
The good news, however, is that despite being fairly rare and hard to get a hold of, Asian Blacks are an awesome backyard breed.
Not only are you going to get a lot of delicious, medium-sized eggs, they’re also cold and hot weather hardy and have a friendly temperament.
