About

The sheer diversity of chicken breeds is staggering. From the tiny Serama, which can weigh less than half a pound, to the enormous Jersey Giant, which can top 13 pounds, selectively bred varieties number in the hundreds. Some breeds, like the Silkie, have feathers so fine they resemble fur. Others, like the Ayam Cemani from Indonesia, are entirely black — feathers, skin, bones, and internal organs alike — due to a genetic condition called fibromelanosis.