The Penedesenca is a Spanish breed of chicken originating in the autonomous community of Catalonia, in the area around Vilafranca del Penedès, the principal town of the historical Penedès region.
 Cock birds near Santa Margarida i els Monjos, in the comarca of Alt Penedès, in the province of Barcelona | |
| Country of origin | Spain |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Catalonia |
| Use | eggs |
| Traits | |
| Weight | |
| Egg colour | dark reddish-brown |
| Comb type | single |
| Classification | |
| PCGB | rare soft feather: heavy[2] |
| |
History edit
It is not known for how long country people in Catalonia have raised chickens that laid dark brown eggs. The first documentation of them is from 1928, when attempts were made to avert the extinction of the type.[1]: 670 In 1932 selection of a black type was begun by a group of breeders in a town near Vilafranca del Penedès. A breed standard for this black Penedesenca was approved in 1946, with the name "Villafranquina Negra", or black Vilafranca chicken.[1]: 670
Uses edit
It was developed in the first half of the twentieth century from native barnyard chickens, and today is noted for its dark brown eggs, said to be among the darkest of any breed of chicken.[3]: 66
References edit
- ^ a b c d Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. ISBN 9788449109461.
- ^ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.
- ^ Carol Ekarius (2007). Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781580176675.
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