Índio Gigante, also known as Indian Giant, is a breed of
domestic chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
originally developed in
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. It is one of the largest chicken breeds in the world, especially in terms of height.
History
The Índio Gigante originated in Brazil around the late 1980s or early 1990s in the states of
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...
and
Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...
.
It was created by crossbreeding large
gamecocks — "Malayoid" breeds such as the
Shamo and the
Malay — with
caipira
Caipiras ( in Caipira dialect) are the traditional population of the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Later, with the expansion of São Paulo's influence to other regions of the country, other states also had Caipiras in their localities, like Go ...
chickens (rustic mixed breeds).
Currently, the Índio Gigante has a defined standard and a Brazilian association — Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Índio Gigante (ABRACIG) — to better organize the continuation and genetic improvement of the breed. Within the 2020s, ABRACIG expects the Índio Gigante to receive official recognition as the first pure breed of chicken to originate from Brazil.
"Índio Gigante" is Portuguese for "Indian Giant"; "Índio" (Indian) in Brazil refers to
indigenous Brazilians and their culture (see also
Native American name controversy
There is an ongoing discussion about the terminology used by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas to describe themselves, as well as how they prefer to be referred to by others. Preferred terms vary primarily by region and age. As Indigenous ...
).
Characteristics
Varieties
Within the Índio Gigante breed, varieties have emerged in addition to the main type:
Índio Gigante Urubu (Giant Indian Vulture): Differ from the standard by having black feathers, face, legs, comb, skin and wattles.
Polaca Gigante (Giant Polish): Differ from the standard by having bare necks.
Raçudo Gigante: Differ from the standard by having short beaks giving the appearance of a "round" head.
References
{{reflist, 45em, refs=
Raça de galinha 'índio gigante' tem espaço para crescer no Paraná, diz Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
Google Translate: Índio Gigante. Retrieved 17 March 2022.[ABRACIG Standard]
ABRACIG Standard. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
[Galo Índio Gigante é mais caro que touro reprodutor - Compre Rural]
Galo Índio Gigante é mais caro que touro reprodutor - Compre Rural. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
[Genetic Relatedness Among Wild, Domestic and Brazilian Fighting Roosters (ResearchGate)]
Genetic Relatedness Among Wild, Domestic and Brazilian Fighting Roosters (ResearchGate). April 2006.
[Avicultura: Como o índio gigante pode se tornar a primeira raça brasileira]
Avicultura: Como o índio gigante pode se tornar a primeira raça brasileira. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
Chicken breeds
Chicken breeds originating in Brazil