The Denizli Longcrower is an ancient Turkish breed, with exact origins remaining somewhat of a mystery. It’s believed that the genetic mutation responsible for the longcrowing trait first appeared in Asia nearly 2,000 years ago. Early records of longcrowing roosters trace all the way back to ancient China, followed by accounts in Japan several centuries later. Historians theorize that over time, these remarkable birds likely spread northwest through Asia into Russia, and eventually westward to Anatolia and Europe.

The Denizli Longcrower is thought to have taken shape between the 12th and 13th centuries in the city of Denizli, located in the picturesque region of Aegean, in what is now modern-day Turkey. Revered for its powerful, enduring crow, they are thought to be the ancestor of Europe’s longcrowing breeds like the Bergische Kraeher, Kosovo, Bosnian, Sanjak, Berat, and Yurlov Longcrower. 

The Denizli Longcrower is a very tall chicken breed. They have very long legs and necks. Typically, a mature rooster will weigh about 6 to 7 pounds, and a hen will weigh about 5 pounds. The hens also have unique vocalizations, where their calls are elongated compared to a non-crowing breed. They have a tall, straight comb, slate-grey, non-feathered legs, and their earlobes can vary from solid red to red with white markings. There are several color varieties of this breed, and our flock primarily produces red and black birds, as well as white and black birds.

The hens aren't prolific layers, but you will get about 100 to 120 large-sized white eggs per year, so on average that's about 2 to 3 eggs per week. The hens tend to speak a lot when they are laying an egg or when you go to collect the eggs from the nestbox. The hens aren't typically broody so if you plan to hatch chicks from this breed, you should invest in an incubator. Our flock is set at a 1:5 rooster-to-hen ratio and we've seen good results at that ratio.

They are a very active breed and with their long legs, do enjoy lots of space. However, they do seem to do okay in a smaller coop. They're moderately flighty and can also jump up to perch in decently high places. Just be careful about having the roosting perches too high as they can sometimes hurt themselves when jumping down if the perches are high up.

We incubate at 99.5°F and 55% humidity. We frequently see a few eggs at every hatch that never pip, even though they were viable at candling. We've also noticed that sometimes the chicks need assistance when hatching, as some will take too long to hatch so the membrane starts to dry and will shrink-wrap the chick without intervention. The eggs may hatch better for you if you incubate and hatch at a lower humidity - perhaps 45% humidity would fare better.

When hatching Denizli Longcrower eggs, the most common defect we observe is feathering on the legs. Chicks exhibiting this trait should be excluded from breeding programs. As the birds mature, you can begin evaluating the roosters’ crows, ideally selecting roosters with the longest-lasting and most resonant crow to carry forward in your breeding program.

In 2019, Greenfire Farms imported two rare longcrower breeds from Eastern Europe: the Denizli Longcrower and the Kosovo Longcrower. While the Kosovos proved tricky to keep and establish, we chose to focus our efforts on the Denizlis and are now working to preserve and share this remarkable breed with fellow poultry enthusiasts.