The Asil chicken, also known as the Aseel chicken, is a breed of domestic chicken that was developed in the South Punjab/Sindh region of India, where they were used for cock fighting. Because of this, the breed is naturally confrontational, with chicks fighting when they are only a few weeks old and roosters often fighting with each other until one is dead. However, they are kind and willing towards humans. Today, the breed is listed on “watchlist” status by the Livestock Conservancy. Although hens are not efficient at laying eggs, they are known to be good sitters.
There are many varieties of Asil chickens that vary in appearance based on the standards of the country in which they are bred. Some members of this breed have feathered tufts on their head and beards under their beaks, but these are most often seen in India and Pakistan. Types of this breed include the Madras asil, a large breed with a long tail that was the first fighting chicken in history, the Sindhi Aseel, which is found in Pakistan and is typically red or blue in color, the Amroha, which is small to medium in size and very rare, and the bantam asil, which is a miniature version of the Amroha. Many of these types are red, blue, and white in color, although some can be black or green.
Image Caption: The Vaal Seval from Alanganallur, Madurai. Credit: Vyas16muthu/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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