Black Shumen

The black Shumen is a Bulgarian domestic chicken associated with the Shumen region in the northeast of the country. It is a medium-sized farm breed with glossy black plumage, a single comb, red face and wattles, and an active, rangy carriage typical of village poultry selected for both eggs and household meat. Outside Bulgaria it is uncommon, so the name may appear in conservation and poultry-genetic-resource lists more often than in hatchery catalogs.

In management it is best viewed as a hardy local breed rather than a high-output commercial layer. Birds generally fit small farmyards and free-range systems, where they can forage while still needing secure night housing and winter shelter. Preservation flocks should avoid casual crossing with other black breeds such as Australorp, Minorca, or black Leghorn, because the phenotype alone does not prove Shumen ancestry. For buyers, the most useful questions are origin of the line, flock size, and whether selection is being made for vigor, fertility, and traditional body type.