Asil chicken

Asil
a tall long-tailed grey-blue chicken
Cock bird
Conservation status
  • FAO (2007): not at risk: 151 
  • DAD-IS (2021): unknown
  • ICAR (2022): not at risk
  • Livestock Conservancy (2026): critical
Other namesAseel
Country of originIndian subcontinent
Distributioninternational
Use
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    • Large: 4 kg: 312 
    • Reza: 1.80–2.70 kg: 50 
    • Bantam: 1100 g: 50 
  • Female:
    • Large: 2.6 kg: 312 
    • Reza: 1.35–2.25 kg: 50 
    • Bantam: 900 g: 50 
Egg colourtinted, cream to brown: 9 
Classification
APAall other standard breeds
EEyes
PCGBAsian hard feather

The Asil or Aseel is an Indian breed or group of breeds of game chicken.: 2120  It is distributed in much of India, particularly in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha; it has been exported to several other countries.

It is one of the parent breeds of the Indian Game, developed in the West Country of England in the early nineteenth century.

History

The Asil originated in the Indian subcontinent, the area that includes modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; it is thought to be among the oldest breeds of fighting cock.: 47  The word "Asil" is from Arabic, and means "purebred". In India, it is a general term for all fighting breeds.

In India the Asil is distributed particularly in the Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh, in the Bastar and Dantiwara districts of Chhattisgarh, and in the Koraput and Malkanagiri districts of Odisha. It is also present in Bangladesh and Pakistan, which were part of British India until Partition, and is found in other countries including Australia, Guatemala, Honduras, Ireland, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay. Game fowl of this type were imported from about 1750 to Europe, where they gave rise to several modern breeds; in some countries, such as Germany and Holland, a larger variant of the Asil is treated as a separate breed, the Madras.: 201 : 54 

An Asil bantam was created in the late nineteenth century by the British breeder William Flamank Entwisle;: 47  it became popular in Britain and in Holland, but later died out. In the 1980s it was re-created in Belgium by Willy Coppens, using Shamo, Indian Game and Reza Asil; it is bred in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Hungary and the United Kingdom, in a variety of colours.

In 2005 the Asil was the only Indian breed of chicken not in need of conservation.: 17  In 2007 its global conservation status was listed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as 'not at risk'.: 151  In 2021 its status was listed in DAD-IS as 'unknown'; in 2022 the estimated total number of the birds was revised from 12000 to over 33 million, and the status changed to 'not at risk'. The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research also listed it as 'not at risk' in 2022. In the United States it was listed by the Livestock Conservancy in 2026 as 'critical'.

Characteristics

The breed is closely and scantily feathered, with little fluff; the comb is mainly of the pea type, though some varieties have a single or rose comb.: 311  A study of 313 birds from an Andhra Pradesh flock found multi-coloured plumage, predominantly dark brown, black and golden; 98% of the birds had red pea combs, 65% had yellow shanks and 98% had white skin. At 72 weeks, mean body weights were about 3.8 kg for cocks and 2.3 kg kg for hens.: 2124 

Use

The Asil is kept for cock-fighting and meat.: 311  Hens are not good layers, but sit well.: 312  They may lay about 70 eggs per year; these vary in colour from cream-coloured to brownish, and weigh approximately 40 g.: 312 

References

  1. 1 2 Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Breed Data Sheet: Aseel / India (Chicken). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2026.
  3. 1 2 Breed Watchlist 2022. National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Accessed 20 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 Aseel Chicken. The Livestock Conservancy. Archived 20 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Transboundary Breed Summary: Cicken: Aseel. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 [National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources] (2011). Breed Descriptor of Chicken. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences. 81 (3): 310–323.
  7. 1 2 3 4 J. Ian H. Allonby, Philippe B. Wilson (editors) (2018). British Poultry Standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain, seventh edition. Chichester; Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley Blackwell. ISBN 9781119509141.
  8. 1 2 3 Rassetafeln: Hühner (in German). Reichenbach, Haselbachtal: Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter. Archived 1 December 2024.
  9. ↑ APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.
  10. ↑ Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
  11. ↑ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.
  12. 1 2 U. Rajkumar, S. Haunshi, C. Paswan, M.V.L.N. Raju, S.V. Rama Rao, R.N. Chatterjee (2017). Characterization of indigenous Aseel chicken breed for morphological, growth, production, and meat composition traits from India. Poultry Science. 96 (7): 2120–2126. doi:10.3382/ps/pew492.
  13. 1 2 Chicken Breeds of India. National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Archived 20 September 2026.
  14. ↑ Indian Game. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Accessed August 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Willem van Ballekom (August 2006). Asian Gamefowl Breeds: The Aseel. Aviculture Europe. 2 (4), article 5. Archived 9 October 2006.
  16. ↑ Victoria Roberts (2008). British Poultry Standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain, sixth edition. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 9781405156424.
  17. ↑ Chickens: Asian Hard Feather. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 23 November 2018.
  18. ↑ Esther J.J. Verhoef-Verhallen, Aad Rijs (2003). Encyklopedie slepic (in Czech). Čestlice: Rebo International, ISBN 8072342851.
  19. ↑ William Flamank Entwisle (1894). Bantams. Wakefield: Edith H. Entwisle.
  20. ↑ [Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying] (2005). Country Report on Animal Genetic Resources of India, archived 22 August 2021. Annex to: Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 10 January 2017.