Nicobari is a small, short-legged chicken from the Nicobar Islands, kept for eggs and meat. Its name in the Nicobarese language, Takniet hyum, means "short-legged chicken", and NBAGR notes that it lays more eggs than any other native breed (ICAR-NBAGR). NBAGR registers it as a breed of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ICAR-NBAGR).
How to recognise it
- Short legs: the clearest sign. The body is set low, with a short, thick neck, a breast that bulges forward, a medium tail and long saddle feathers that lie neatly along it (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Colour: the original birds are a dull brown; black and white lines have also been developed (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Skin, legs and comb: pinkish or yellowish white skin, pinkish white shanks and pinkish ear lobes. The comb is red and mostly single (rarely pea), large in cocks and small in hens (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Weight: adult cocks weigh about 1.8 kg and hens about 1.3 kg in NBAGR's breed record (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Eggs: white or cream, sometimes light brown or pinkish white, weighing about 49 g (ICAR-NBAGR). Most country hens lay brown eggs (TANUVAS), so pale eggs are one clue to the breed.
What it is kept for
- Eggs. NBAGR's breed record gives about 149 eggs a year on average, with individual hens laying anywhere from 112 to 237, and the first egg at about 6.6 months (ICAR-NBAGR). A selected flock on ICAR-DPR's farm in Hyderabad lays 170–180 eggs a year (ICAR-DPR).
- Meat. In NBAGR's record, cocks go for meat at about 9 months, weighing about 1.2 kg, and hens after laying, at about 24 months and 0.9–1.0 kg (ICAR-NBAGR). On ICAR-DPR's farm, young birds weigh 1.3–1.5 kg at 5 months (ICAR-DPR).
- Not a keen sitter. NBAGR records that hens go broody only sometimes (ICAR-NBAGR), so plan how you will hatch the eggs: under a broody hen of another kind or in an incubator. Country chicken eggs take 21 days to hatch (TANUVAS).
Where it comes from
Nicobari comes from the Nicobar group of islands, where the Nicobarese people keep it fully free-range, on islands such as Car Nicobar, Chowra, Teressa, Katchal, Camorta, Nancowrie, Little Nicobar and Great Nicobar. NBAGR thinks the breed arose from crosses of exotic and native fowl on the islands, and estimated 7,524 birds in 2001 (ICAR-NBAGR).
It is not native to the southern states, but it is kept there. TANUVAS's poultry college at Hosur produces Nicobari and supplies them to farmers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (TANUVAS), and ICAR-DPR in Hyderabad sells its chicks (ICAR-DPR).
Looking for Nicobari chickens?
Kattutharai works across India. Search “Nicobari” in the app to look for Nicobari chickens, or browse chickens for sale near you. The seller names the breed and Kattutharai does not check it, so look at the birds yourself before you pay.
Rearing tips
- Free-range with a night shelter. In the islands it ranges freely (ICAR-NBAGR). Here, keep it like other country chickens, foraging by day and shut in a safe shelter at night: see how country chickens are raised.
- Hardy, but vaccinate. NBAGR describes it as adapted to the humid island climate and resistant to most common poultry diseases there (ICAR-NBAGR). It still needs the usual vaccinations, as your vet advises.
- Care for the young chicks. NBAGR's record shows losses of about 23% in the first 4 weeks (ICAR-NBAGR), so keep chicks warm and dry, in a shelter that snakes, mongooses and cats cannot enter (TANUVAS).
- Health. Keep the shelter clean and keep newly bought birds apart from your flock for a month: see keep chickens healthy.
Buying tips
- Check the legs. A Nicobari is small and low, with very short legs, a short, thick neck and a forward-bulging breast (ICAR-NBAGR). A long-legged bird is not a Nicobari. If the seller has laying hens, ask to see their eggs: pale eggs fit the breed.
- Crosses are common. The breed name in an ad is the seller's word, and Kattutharai does not check it. Check the signs yourself, and look at the parent birds if you can.
- Chicks from known hatcheries. TANUVAS at Hosur and ICAR-DPR in Hyderabad both supply Nicobari (TANUVAS, ICAR-DPR). Buy from a government or registered hatchery where you can.
- Health and papers: ask which vaccinations the birds have had, and look for signs of sickness before you pay: see buying country chickens.
Frequently asked questions
How many eggs does a Nicobari hen lay?
About 149 a year on average in NBAGR's record, with individual hens laying 112–237 (ICAR-NBAGR); 170–180 in ICAR-DPR's selected farm flock (ICAR-DPR).
Can Nicobari be raised on the mainland?
Yes. TANUVAS at Hosur and ICAR-DPR in Hyderabad keep the breed and supply birds to farmers in the southern states (TANUVAS, ICAR-DPR).
Will Nicobari hens hatch their own eggs?
Only sometimes (ICAR-NBAGR). Keep a broody hen of another kind, or use an incubator.
Next
Compare Nicobari with Kadaknath, the black chicken of Madhya Pradesh, and with Gramapriya, an improved egg-laying variety. Read Country chicken in South India: breeds, buying and care for buying, care and bird flu, and browse chickens for sale.