Asil chicken

History

The Asil chicken comes from the Indian subcontinent, covering what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and is considered one of the oldest breeds of fighting cock. The name comes from an Arabic word meaning "purebred," and in India it is used as a general term for all fighting breeds. Within India, the Asil is mainly found in the Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh, the Bastar and Dantiwara districts of Chhattisgarh, and the Koraput and Malkanagiri districts of Odisha. It also lives in Bangladesh and Pakistan, once part of British India before Partition, and has spread to countries like Australia, Guatemala, Honduras, Ireland, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay. A bantam version of the Asil was developed in the late 1800s by British breeder William Flamank Entwisle. It gained popularity in Britain and Holland but eventually disappeared. In the 1980s, Belgian breeder Willy Coppens recreated it using Shamo, Indian Game, and Reza Asil stock. This bantam is now bred in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Hungary, and the United Kingdom in several colors. In 2005, the Asil was the only Indian chicken breed not needing conservation, and in 2007 the FAO listed it as "not at risk." By 2021, its status was reported as "unknown" to DAD-IS, while the Livestock Conservancy in the United States called it "threatened."