- Jun 28, 2011
- 39,162
- 27,284
- 1,302
The Penedesenca is justly popular for its very dark brown eggs, with the hens laying around 200 eggs a year. They are an interesting exception to the rule that birds with white earlobes lay white eggs. They also have a unique comb type called the carnation comb or king’s comb, which looks like a single comb but with several lobes or points in a circle in the rear. In the mature hen, the comb will usually flop to one side. They come in four main feather colors, Black, Crele, Partridge, and Wheaten.
They originated in the Spanish region of Catalonia, in the area around Vilafranca del Penedès, from birds native to the region. The attempts to standardize the landraces into a breed began around 1928 when it was feared that the type would go extinct due to birds imported from other regions. Efforts of various groups lead to the black Penedesenca being the first standardized, in 1946, and work continues to this day. They were imported into the US around 2000.
They are a very active breed that is often quite flighty and do well free ranging. They are very predator aware, and they will roost very high in trees. They can be aggressive in a flock, so do best with birds of similar temperaments. The hens will go broody and the hens are very attentive and protective mothers. They are very heat tolerant, but their large combs are subject to frostbite.
Details:
Breed purpose: Eggs
Comb Type: Carnation
Broodiness: Occasional, very good mothers.
Climate Tolerance: Very heat tolerant.
Weight: 6-8 lbs.
Egg Productivity: Good
Egg Size: Large
Egg Color: Very dark Brown.
Pic by @karenerwin
Pic by @DirtyAnkleAcres
Pic by @ChickenCanoe
Pic by @Hangtown Farms
Pic by @Hangtown Farms
BYC Breed reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/penedesenca
General breed discussions & FAQ threads:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/289025/calling-all-penedesencas-owners-breeders/0_20
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/212387/empordanesa-penedesenca-who-has-them/0_20
Do you own Penedesencas? Are you a Penedesenca breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/
They originated in the Spanish region of Catalonia, in the area around Vilafranca del Penedès, from birds native to the region. The attempts to standardize the landraces into a breed began around 1928 when it was feared that the type would go extinct due to birds imported from other regions. Efforts of various groups lead to the black Penedesenca being the first standardized, in 1946, and work continues to this day. They were imported into the US around 2000.
They are a very active breed that is often quite flighty and do well free ranging. They are very predator aware, and they will roost very high in trees. They can be aggressive in a flock, so do best with birds of similar temperaments. The hens will go broody and the hens are very attentive and protective mothers. They are very heat tolerant, but their large combs are subject to frostbite.
Details:
Breed purpose: Eggs
Comb Type: Carnation
Broodiness: Occasional, very good mothers.
Climate Tolerance: Very heat tolerant.
Weight: 6-8 lbs.
Egg Productivity: Good
Egg Size: Large
Egg Color: Very dark Brown.
Pic by @karenerwin
Pic by @DirtyAnkleAcres
Pic by @ChickenCanoe
Pic by @Hangtown Farms
Pic by @Hangtown Farms
BYC Breed reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/penedesenca
General breed discussions & FAQ threads:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/289025/calling-all-penedesencas-owners-breeders/0_20
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/212387/empordanesa-penedesenca-who-has-them/0_20
Do you own Penedesencas? Are you a Penedesenca breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/
Last edited by a moderator:
