 A Polverara hen | |
| Conservation status | Recovering |
|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Country of origin | Italy |
| Distribution | Province of Padua |
| Traits | |
| Weight |
|
| Skin color | White |
| Egg color | Whitish |
| Comb type | V-shaped |
| Classification | |
| Notes | |
| Crested breed | |
| |
The Polverara, also known as Schiatta (Italian) or S'ciata (Venetian), is an ancient breed of crested chicken from the area of Polverara in the province of Padua, in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy.
The Polverara chicken takes its name from Polverara, a small town in the rural Saccisica area of the province of Padova. The early history of the Polverara breed is unclear, as is its relationship to the Padovana. The Polverara is a larger breed, with a smaller crest and beard. It has been suggested both that it derives from the Padovana, and that the Padovana derives from it. [1]
Two sources provide evidence of crested chickens in Europe in Roman times: the two marble statuettes of crested chickens noticed in the Sala degli Animali ("animal hall") of the Vatican Museums in 1927 by Alessandro Ghigi date from the 1st or 2nd century AD; [2] a chicken skull excavated at West Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire in England shows the typical cerebral hernia of the crested breeds and dates from the 4th century. [3]
The first reference to the chickens of Polverara is from Bernardino Scardeone (1478–1554), who writes of the Saccisica: "this area is ... famous for the abundance of chickens of remarkable size, particularly in the village of Polverara". [4] Alessandro Tassoni (1565–1635), in his mock-heroic poem La Secchia Rapita ("The Stolen Bucket", 1622) speaks of "... Polverara, which is the kingdom of cocks". [5]
A painting by Giovanni Agostino Cassana (1658–1720) in the Musei Civici degli Eremitani, the city museums of Padova, shows a woman spinning thread in a rural landscape, surrounded by a number of domestic animals, including a crested white hen that closely resembles the Polverara breed. [6]
By the late 19th century a decline in the breed, attributed to inter-breeding with other chickens, was already apparent. [7] Despite various attempts by breeders to preserve it, and the institution by the comune of Polverara in 1925 of an annual prize of 300 lire to be awarded to the best breeder, [8] the Polverara chicken declined through most of the 20th century. A rustic breed that adapted poorly to intensive farming, its numbers fell until only seven remained. [9] From the 1980s, new efforts were made to recover and reconstitute it. [10] It was included in the 1996 official standard of the Federazione Italiana Associazioni Avicole, the federation of Italian poultry associations, which is the authority governing poultry breeding in Italy. [11] It is under the protection of the European Community. [9]
Breed numbers remain low. A study published in 2007 used a figure of approximately 1200 for the total breeding stock, of which approximately 300 were cocks. [12]
Two colours are recognised for the Polverara, black and white. The black variety is deep black with strong dark green lights; the legs are a greenish slate colour, and the beak dark with black lines. The white variety is pure white, with willow-green legs and pinkish yellow beak. The skin is white. The crest is small and upward-facing, the comb small and V-shaped. The wattles are small, the ear-lobes of medium size and pure white. Average weight is 2.5–2.8 kg (5.5–6.2 lb) for cocks, 1.8–2.1 kg (4.0–4.6 lb) for hens. The eggs are whitish and weigh at least 50 g. Ring size is 18 mm for cocks, 16 mm for hens. [1]
The Polverara is a dual-purpose breed. It is kept in the open as it adapts poorly to captivity, and may roost in trees where available. Cocks easily reach 3 kg in weight. Hens lay at least 150 eggs a year. The meat is darker than in some other breeds, and is delicate and well-flavoured. [13]
The Leghorn, Italian: Livorno or Livornese, is a breed of chicken originating in Tuscany, in central Italy. Birds were first exported to North America in 1828 from the Tuscan port city of Livorno, on the western coast of Italy. They were initially called "Italians", but by 1865 the breed was known as "Leghorn", the traditional anglicisation of "Livorno". The breed was introduced to Britain from the United States in 1870. White Leghorns are commonly used as layer chickens in many countries of the world. Other Leghorn varieties are less common.
The Ancona is a breed of chicken which originated in the Marches, region of Italy, but which was bred to its present type mainly in the United Kingdom in the nineteenth century. It is named after the city of Ancona, capital of the Marche. It is popular in Britain and the United States, but uncommon in Italy; an initiative to re-establish it in its native area and preserve its biodiversity was launched in 2000. There are also Ancona bantams.
Giovanni Dondi dell'Orologio, also known as Giovanni de' Dondi, was an Italian physician, astronomer and mechanical engineer in Padua, now in Italy. He is remembered today as a pioneer in the art of clock design and construction. The Astrarium, which he designed and built over a period of 16 years, was a highly complex astronomical clock and planetarium, constructed only 60 or so years after the very first all-mechanical clocks had been built in Europe, and demonstrated an ambitious attempt to describe and model the planetary system with mathematical precision and technological sophistication.
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The Bionda Piemontese is a traditional Italian dual-purpose breed of chicken. It originates in the Piedmont region of north-western Italy, from which it takes its name. It may also be called the Bionda di Cuneo, after the comune of Cuneo or the surrounding province; Bionda di Villanova, after the comune of Villanova d'Asti in the province of Asti; Rossa delle Crivelle, after a village near Buttigliera d'Asti; or Nostralina.
The Ermellinata di Rovigo is a modern Italian breed of dual-purpose chicken. It originates in the city of Rovigo in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy, from which it takes its name. It was created between 1959 and 1965, principally from Sussex and Rhode Island Red parentage.
The Robusta Lionata is a modern Italian breed of dual-purpose chicken originating in the city of Rovigo in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy. It was created between 1959 and 1965, by cross-breeding Buff Orpingtons with the commercial strain known in Italy as "White America".
The Robusta Maculata is a modern Italian dual-purpose breed of chicken. It originates in the city of Rovigo in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy, where it was created between 1959 and 1965 by cross-breeding Buff Orpingtons with the commercial strain known in Italy as "White America".
The Romagnola is a traditional Italian breed of dual-purpose chicken from the Emilia-Romagna region. It was formerly widespread in central Italy, but in the late twentieth century came close to extinction. In early 2012 the population was recovering and the breed was awaiting official recognition by the Federazione Italiana Associazioni Avicole, the federation of Italian poultry associations.
The Pépoi or Pepoi is a rustic Italian breed of small dual-purpose chicken from north-eastern Italy, particularly the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions. It is not officially recognised as a breed in Italy, but is being considered for recognition.
The Mugellese, also known as Mugginese, is a rustic dual-purpose breed of small chicken or bantam from Tuscany, in central Italy. It takes its name from the historic Mugello region to the north-east of Florence. It is not officially recognised as a breed in Italy, but is being considered for recognition.
The Mericanel della Brianza is a breed of small chicken or bantam from Lombardy, in northern Italy. It takes its name from the Brianza, an area to the north-east of Milan, and from mericanell, a Lombard diminutive of merican "American". In early 2012 it was the only officially recognised Italian bantam breed.
The Padovana or Padovana dal gran ciuffo is an ancient Italian breed of small crested and bearded chicken. It originates in, and is named for, the city and surrounding province of Padua, in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy. Despite continuing discussion surrounding its true origins, it is recognised in Italy as an indigenous Italian breed.
The Valdarno is an Italian breed of black dual-purpose chicken. It originates in, and is named for, the lower part of the Valdarno, the valley of the Arno river, in Tuscany in central Italy. It became virtually extinct in the twentieth century, but the population is recovering. It is a quite different breed from the Valdarnese, which originates in the upper Valdarno, and is white.
The Valdarnese, also referred to as Valdarnese Bianca, Valdarno Bianca or Pollo del Valdarno, is a breed of large white chicken from the upper Valdarno, the valley of the Arno river, in Tuscany, central Italy. It became virtually extinct in the 20th century, but the population is recovering. It is a different breed from the Valdarno chicken, which originates in the lower part of the Valdarno, and is black.
The Siciliana is an ancient Italian breed of chicken from the Mediterranean island of Sicily. It is notable for its unusual double or rose comb, for the early age at which birds reach maturity, and for the unusual shape of the eggs. The Sicilian Buttercup, bred in Australia, Great Britain and the North America, derives from it, but its long separation from the original stock has led to marked differences between the two.
The Lamon or Lamonese is a breed of sheep from the comuni of Lamon and Sovramonte in the province of Belluno, in the Veneto in north-east Italy. The area is known as the Feltrino, from the town of Feltre, and the breed may also be referred to as the Feltrina. It was formerly widely distributed in the Veneto and the Trentino, and as far as the province of Mantova in Lombardy. In the 1950s there was an attempt to increase the size by cross-breeding with the Bergamasca; there was also some cross-breeding with the Padovana and the now extinct Trentina. The Lamon is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
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