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Some History of the Asil (or Aseel) Chicken by Jennifer Floyd
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| The Game-type chickens, as a whole, have some
of the longest documented histories of any domestic fowls. The Asil (or
Aseel) has an ancestry particularly steeped in antiquity - the breed is
referred to in the Codes of Manu, an Indian document on law, religion,
& philosophy dating back to somewhere between 900-1280 B.C. (Atkinson,
Herbert, Cockfighting & Game Fowl (1938), p. 81) Asils were
developed primarily as a sort of feathered pugilist, and this aspect of
their development has had an overpowering influence on the breed’s
structure, constitution, and temperament, as well as influencing its role
in the development of more modern breeds. |
| As befitting such an old breed, the Asil and
its descendants are known not only in India, its country of origin, but in
places as far flung as Thailand, Japan, Turkey, England (imported in
1760), many South American countries, and the USA. Of particular interest
is the Cornish breed, developed in England from Asil crosses, and the base
stock of the modern meat chicken industry. The Cornish inherited from the
Asil its meaty, well-muscled body, sturdy frame, and yellow skin and legs. |
| Asils are a fowl of unusual appearance, having
very short, hard, glossy feathers, so short that the breastbone is left
exposed (as well as often the back of the head and the points of the
shoulders). Large boned, with broad shoulders, an upright stance, heavily
muscled hips and square shanked legs (legs rounded or D shaped in cross
section are a sign of impure blood), strong, curved neck and short beak,
the Asil is a very powerful bird. The face is rather predatory looking,
with hawk-like brows over pale, pearl-colored eyes, with a small pea comb
and earlobes, and no wattles at all. The tail is carried low, and fans
horizontally rather than vertically. Eggs are usually tinted, and the hens
are not known for their laying ability. Many of the color varieties have
interesting stories attributed to them, such as the Sonatol (or Sonatawal),
light red (wheaten), called "gold in value" due to one cock
being sold to a Rajah for its weight in gold; the Ghan, dark red (black
breasted red or dark), meaning "sledge-hammer," one of which is
said to have broken a man’s wrist with one blow; the Rampur, solid
black, called "cobra killer," after a hen which dispatched such
a snake; and the Kaptan, dark red with some white, whose name means
"black spurred". The APA Standard recognizes black breasted red,
wheaten, dark, spangled, and white Aseels, but they can also be found in
the typical Game colors, including grey (duckwing), blue breasted red, and
black. The Standard also lists them as "very vigorous and tenacious
survivors." |
| This hardiness, combined with wonderful
mothering ability makes the breed quite useful as a free-range fowl, and
they do well in confinement also; with the caveat that they not be
confined with others of their own breed, unless of the opposite sex. The
cocks are quite docile and easy to handle, and Asils in general seem
particularly intelligent. Crosses make excellent meat birds (the original
stock tends to be rather slow maturing). |
| I have had oriental Games since 1981, and my
current lines of Asils goes back to both those birds and some stock I
acquired in 1990. I use Asil hens to hatch all of my chicks, and can set a
hen for three consecutive hatches without any problem. Snakes and other
small vermin are no threat to the chicks, as hens are very protective of
their young; yet they allow me to handle them and their chicks with little
or no protest. On the other hand, I cannot keep too many of these
paragons, because I don’t have the pen space; cocks must be kept
separate from each other so that they can’t dig or fly to where they can
strike at the male in the next pen (I bury bricks and rocks between pens,
and make solid plywood barriers four feet high), and hens often do not get
along well with other hens; I can keep them with males, hens of
non-aggressive breeds, or else let them free-range where my dogs
(Anatolian Shepherds, a kind of livestock protection dog) can break up
fights. I find the breed to be fascinating, both for their long history
and aristocratic disposition. Devoted parents, with an impressive physical
appearance and an indomitable spirit, plus plumage of a range of colors
(many of a beautiful metallic luster), the Asil is a breed worth keeping. |
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| Pair of young wheaten Asils (I get the occasional lighter bird, as my foundation stock were wheaten colored.) | |
