“We have one of these hens, named Rook, who is just the Most! She's friendly, clever, mischievous, and of course gorgeous. If any hen figures out a new trick (or escape), this is the one. I disagree about these as poor layers - she's been quite reliable when she's on, though her eggs are a bit smaller than most (sometimes this is good!). She does seem to like to repeat the pattern of blowing a full naked molt in the dead of winter, in Maine, but she looks fabulous in her polka-dot fleece sweater. I am not a chicken-sweater sort of person, believe me, but I believe she would suffer without, for a few weeks. Must be her Sumatran roots.”
“My husband has wanted one of these for years, for no particular reason other than how beautiful they look. Our Sumatra has been everything he hoped (beautiful glossy black with iridescent green and purple feathers) and way more. She is usually the first one in the flock to jump onto an outstretched arm and her endearing noises when you pet her (or all the time really, she follows us making her unusual noises and we know she is there). She looks like a raven from a certain angle and seems as smart as one too. She loves to explore and perch up high. We are so glad we finally ordered one of these fantastic chickens.”
“Pip Squeak is the friendliest chick so far. She doesn‚Äôt run away when we go to pick her up, she sleeps in my lap, and she tolerates so much petting. She will even chirp if I stop for even a moment. She looks more bird-like and is more chatty than I expected, but she is also so much better than I expected. She is the smallest of our flock, but her psyche is the biggest chick in there. I don‚Äôt know if she will beat our Wyandotte for the top of the pecking order, but she will be up there despite her size. I can‚Äôt wait to see how beautiful she gets when all her feathers come in.”
“I ended up with three of these pretty things from MPC- Eris, Velyce, and October. All lovely birds who are a year old in one month. Taking off one star because they're all small, one has gold-orange eyes and the second has one yellow eye and one orange. It definitely is gorgeous and I'm pleased they do, but they don't meet the standard with their lack of melanizing genes. But very happy with them nonetheless.”
“I purchased a single Sumatra hen as a day old chick in an order of multiple breeds years ago from My Pet Chicken and she is the neatest bird. She flies out of the chicken yard during the day to free range, snoozes on the porch next to the dogs when hawks are around and lets herself back in at night. She knows her name and comes running when I call to take treats out of my hand. One of our smaller birds but still high in the pecking order. I finally got around to ordering more and am eagerly awaiting more hens and a rooster. Sumi, the Sumatra, will have more pals to roam with soon.”
“We ordered a Sumatra pullet who turned out to be male, so I took off a star for that. We had to rehome him at 4 months because he was starting to crow and we live in a city. But wow, what a beautiful boy! His tail was already twice the length of his body and he had just the most amazing green metallic glow to all of his feathers. Seriously, he was prettier than all the pics of Sumatras his age I could find - and I looked at a lot while agonizing over whether or not he was really a he. He also had a very sweet and precocious personality and didn't attempt to fly over the fence even once.
While getting an accidental boy was not the best experience, it inspired us to put Sumatras at the top of our rooster list for when we move to the country in a few years.”
“My Sumatrians, Taffy and Dum-Dum, are a delight. They are extremely smart and were quick to pick up our bedtime ritual and consistently come when called. Even though they don't like to be held they are very affable and love to follow me around the yard as I work. I would say to keep in mind they like to fly. My girls once flew up 20' into a pepper tree and then refused to come down until I got the good treats! Despite their smaller size they are at the top of my flocks pecking order. They have also been very good mothers without being overly broody. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for a strong forager with a good sized yard for them to roam.”
