Have you ever seen a chicken with glittery black and green feathers that shine brightly in the sunlight? That brilliant bird is called the Mystic Onyx chicken. I’ve raised many types of chickens, but none are as beautiful and easy to care for as these Onyx beauties.
Keep reading to learn about where these mystical chickens came from, what makes them so marvelous, and why they are the perfect pet chicken for beginners.
Where Did These Mystical Chickens Originate?
Mystic Onyx chickens were first bred by crossing Silkie chickens with meat birds. The breeders selected the chickens that had the darkest black skin, meat, and feathers. The resulting Onyx chickens look a bit like an Indonesian all-black chicken called the Ayam Cemani.
But Onyx chickens have some reddish feathers mixed in that glimmer brightly against their shimmery green-black plumage. Their combs and wattles are very dark, mulberry or black. Some even have cute tufts on their heads like Silkies do.
What Causes Their Marvelous Black Color?
An Onyx chicken’s feathers, skin, bones, meat, and even internal organs are colored greyish-black with some gorgeous green and purple reflections. This happens because the chickens produce way more cells that give color, called melanocytes than typical chickens do.
The extra melanocytes cram into the feather follicles and color the tissue inside black too. Their special black color even paints their eyes a spooky beetle green.
Characteristics of Mystic Onyx Chicken
Egg Laying Productivity
Besides looks, Onyx hens lay lots of big light brown eggs – about 220-250 per year. For comparison, top laying chicken breeds like Leghorns lay about 280 eggs annually. So, while Onyxes fall a bit short of the best layers, their egg production definitely beats most chicken breeds.
The number of eggs each hen lays depends on things like light, food, predators, space, and more. But a small flock should produce a nice 5 eggs per week from each hen during peak seasons.
Hardy Health and Nice Temperaments
Onyx chickens are really tough birds that stay pretty healthy. Their thick black plumage keeps them nice and toasty warm in the winter cold yet cool in the summer heat. Onyx chickens thrive in just about any climate you throw at them. They are great scavengers and don’t get sick as easily as wimpier chicken breeds can.
Plus, even though they look fierce, Onyx hens have amazingly sweet personalities. They peacefully share space with other chickens instead of picking fights. Onyx hens chat cordially amongst themselves without annoying loud chicken screams. And they don’t startle easily or mind nice attention from their beloved owners.
Ideal Beginner Chicken
For first timers curious about raising backyard chickens, you can’t pick a better breed than the Mystic Onyx to start with. Their dazzling looks pull you in fast while their decent egg laying rewards your chicken caretaking.
Since they continue producing while staying healthy despite weather or mistakes, Onyx chickens forgive beginner learning curves pretty gracefully. And befriending the docile Onyx hens leads to many delightful moments out in the coop or yard together.
Caring for Onyx Chickens
These no fuss Onyx hens require the same basic chicken care any breed would. Just make sure to provide:
- Free access to layer feed and clean drinking water
- Outdoor spaces to roam and peck at the ground
- A coop for roosting overnight with 12 hours of light from lamps when days get shorter
- Protection from hungry predators like hawks, raccoons, coyotes, and loose dogs
With only these basics covered, Mystic Onyx does fabulously, even in small urban backyard farms. And since they are still quite rare, you can make good money selling their highly coveted fertilized eggs and chicks to other poultry lovers.
Downsides to Consider
While I can’t praise Mystic Onyx chickens enough, there are a couple of potential drawbacks to know. First, only recent popularity means they are still hard to find and pricy to buy. Paying fair prices supports ethical breeders in expanding the Onyx gene pool responsibly.
Their melanin richness creating such gorgeous contrasting hues may sap a bit of energy otherwise used for egg production. So, they likely won’t produce as many eggs over a lifetime as a devoted production breed like the Leghorn.
Conclusion
But really, Mystic Onyx chickens have way more wins in their column than flaws on balance. Jaw dropping beauty, pleasant personalities, excellent health, and respectable laying abilities make them a nearly perfect pet chicken. Both veteran and rookie chicken tenders alike are sure to find raising the glamorous Mystic Onyx a richly rewarding poultry endeavor.
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