Black Penedesenca day old chicks.

[ChickenCanoe]

These birds are extremely rare worldwide. More rare in the US.

I have chicks hatching now and can ship today or tomorrow.
I need the zip code of anyone interested.
Message me for my phone# and PayPal account for your address and for payment.
They have to reach my post office for 2 day express mail. To many zip codes, no overnight is available.
Depending on your zip code, it is about $40 or more for chick postage for up to 25 chicks. A little more for a 50 chick order.
($10 per chick)

The first post here has pictures of birds and eggs as well as a writeup on the breed.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/black-penedesenca-hatching-eggs.1235753/

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm glad to address your concerns.
Many breeds that people keep have been standardized into varieties for hundreds of years. That is not true of Penedesencas. They were landrace fowl collected from area farms in the Penedes region of Catalonia and were a great variety of colors but mostly black, partridge and some barring. They were only standardized into 4 varieties in the mid 1980s.
I had hoped I made that clear in my first post in 2018 that I provided a link to in post #1 of this thread.
I have not personally received any of the negative feedback about my birds of which you speak from anyone familiar with the breed.
Did you think the eggs I sent you each time weren't dark?

Landrace fowl are not the same as long established breeds and varieties.
What that means is a local variety of a species that has distinctive characteristics arising from development and adaptation over time to conditions of a localized geographic region and that typically displays greater genetic diversity than types subjected to formal breeding practices. The historically distinctive characteristics of Penedesencas is the carnation comb, white earlobes (unique in a brown egg layer) and a dark egg. The color varieties were assembled fairly recently in historical terms and sports or variations should be expected.
I acquired my original stock after a 2 year search. I was shipped 23 BP chicks. There were 9 cockerels and only 2 were all black. The rest looked more like partridge. I only used the black ones for breeding and all my birds are from those first two black birds. Of those original pullets, after the first molt, 3 had some white mottling. Understanding their rarity, I expected problems.
I've never crossed them with anything. Sometimes I even get a chipmunk colored chick.
I've even seen posts here of people with black Australorps, a breed that has been standardized for 300 years or more to become mottled over time.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-black-australorp-changed-colors-weird-pic-heavy.609714/
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/australorp-chickens-a-comprehensive-care-guide/
Of the 22 roosters I had on January 1st this year, one had a lot of white feathers and two had some red in the hackles. Those have been butchered. I have been diligently addressing issues related to European standards for 10 years, focusing on white earlobes, carnation combs, feather color, leg color and dark eggs. I only hatch from dark eggs and all my roosters over the years hatched from dark eggs. With that in mind when hatching from hens that lay dark eggs bred to roosters from dark eggs, the expectation is that the offspring would lay dark eggs. That is the only way to do it. It takes many years. I can't do any more than that.
In Catalonia, most have lost the dark egg and the white earlobe.
Sandhill preservation sells black Penedesencas. By his own admission, Glen selects for egg color and has lost the white earlobe on most of his birds.
Some days I get light eggs and some days all dark eggs.
I'm the only one I know of who's breeding program makes constant assessments on which birds need to be culled due to ALL characteristics of this unique breed.

I don't recall what happened with your first hatch but I know the temperature was off because your chicks hatched late.
You've had 2 shipments of eggs but I can't control your incubation process and if the 3 chicks of the second shipment were a disappointment, I'm sorry.
If you think you will have more success next time, I'll ship more eggs.

I'm not a hatchery. I'm one person who has devoted years to a single extremely rare breed.
I'm going to quote a statement from Greenfire Farms conditions and policy on the keeping and breeding of extremely rare breeds.
"WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT. You should expect birds that reflect the fundamental attributes of the breed. You should not expect a cosmetically perfect bird. In fact, you should expect to find some defects in virtually every bird you raise. Just as every child is not destined to become a supermodel, every bird is not destined to win ribbons at shows. Only a tiny fraction of chickens conform to their breed standard in all respects. We do not represent that every bird we sell is show quality or is flawless. You should receive birds that can be the foundation for a breeding program that with enough time and skill can produce show-quality birds. You should also realize that the rarer the breed, the more likely you are to encounter problems related to inbreeding. For some breeds and varieties that we sell, the global breeding population consists of fewer than a dozen hens. We cull for obvious defects like crooked toes, but low fertility, low egg production, low disease resistance, and other challenges are not uncommon with extremely rare breeds. If you encounter these challenges when the birds become adults, you will need to address them with your own breeding plan. We do not offer refunds beyond the 72-Hour Live Chick Guarantee."

I won't be shipping chicks again until buyers agree to terms and conditions similar to the Greenfire Farms statement.

 

[Perris]

Update on my quest for Penedesencas: hatch underway as I type
Sophie @DownFarm supplied me with partridge Penny eggs 3 weeks ago, and my broody has been sitting on them since. Sadly she hasn't shown me anything yet today, so I'm still waiting to see what we've got - but I do know we've got something - I can hear them cheeping!

 

[DownFarm]

I wish I could get some from you, but sadly, I'm on the wrong continent!

I have a small flock of pure partridge penedesencas. I’m in the UK. I have been in touch with the Rare Breeds Society and they do not know any other British Penedesenca owners. However I’m sure there are some out there! I’d be interested to talk with other Uk breeders as I’m new to this particular breed and I want to learn. I am not currently selling eggs, chickens or chicks.

 

[JCaseyHammond]

I'm glad to address your concerns.
Many breeds that people keep have been standardized into varieties for hundreds of years. That is not true of Penedesencas. They were landrace fowl collected from area farms in the Penedes region of Catalonia and were a great variety of colors but mostly black, partridge and some barring. They were only standardized into 4 varieties in the mid 1980s.
I had hoped I made that clear in my first post in 2018 that I provided a link to in post #1 of this thread.
I have not personally received any of the negative feedback about my birds of which you speak from anyone familiar with the breed.

Landrace fowl are not the same as long established breeds and varieties.
What that means is a local variety of a species that has distinctive characteristics arising from development and adaptation over time to conditions of a localized geographic region and that typically displays greater genetic diversity than types subjected to formal breeding practices. The historically distinctive characteristics of Penedesencas is the carnation comb, white earlobes (unique in a brown egg layer) and a dark egg. The color varieties were assembled fairly recently in historical terms and sports or variations should be expected.
I acquired my original stock after a 2 year search. I was shipped 23 BP chicks. There were 9 cockerels and only 2 were all black. The rest looked more like partridge. I only used the black ones for breeding and all my birds are from those first two black birds. Of those original pullets, after the first molt, 3 had some white mottling. Understanding their rarity, I expected problems.
I've never crossed them with anything. Sometimes I even get a chipmunk colored chick.
I've even seen posts here of people with black Australorps, a breed that has been standardized for 300 years or more to become mottled over time.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-black-australorp-changed-colors-weird-pic-heavy.609714/
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/australorp-chickens-a-comprehensive-care-guide/
Of the 22 roosters I had on January 1st this year, one had a lot of white feathers and two had some red in the hackles. Those have been butchered. I have been diligently addressing issues related to European standards for 10 years, focusing on white earlobes, carnation combs, feather color, leg color and dark eggs. I only hatch from dark eggs and all my roosters over the years hatched from dark eggs. With that in mind when hatching from hens that lay dark eggs bred to roosters from dark eggs, the expectation is that the offspring would lay dark eggs. That is the only way to do it. It takes many years. I can't do any more than that.
In Catalonia, most have lost the dark egg and the white earlobe.
Sandhill preservation sells black Penedesencas. By his own admission, Glen selects for egg color and has lost the white earlobe on most of his birds.
Some days I get light eggs and some days all dark eggs.
I'm the only one I know of who's breeding program makes constant assessments on which birds need to be culled due to ALL characteristics of this unique breed.

I don't recall what happened with your first hatch but I know the temperature was off because your chicks hatched late.
You've had 2 shipments of eggs but I can't control your incubation process and if the 3 chicks of the second shipment were a disappointment, I'm sorry.
If you think you will have more success next time, I'll ship more eggs.

I'm not a hatchery. I'm one person who has devoted years to a single extremely rare breed.
I'm going to quote a statement from Greenfire Farms conditions and policy on the keeping and breeding of extremely rare breeds.
"WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT. You should expect birds that reflect the fundamental attributes of the breed. You should not expect a cosmetically perfect bird. In fact, you should expect to find some defects in virtually every bird you raise. Just as every child is not destined to become a supermodel, every bird is not destined to win ribbons at shows. Only a tiny fraction of chickens conform to their breed standard in all respects. We do not represent that every bird we sell is show quality or is flawless. You should receive birds that can be the foundation for a breeding program that with enough time and skill can produce show-quality birds. You should also realize that the rarer the breed, the more likely you are to encounter problems related to inbreeding. For some breeds and varieties that we sell, the global breeding population consists of fewer than a dozen hens. We cull for obvious defects like crooked toes, but low fertility, low egg production, low disease resistance, and other challenges are not uncommon with extremely rare breeds. If you encounter these challenges when the birds become adults, you will need to address them with your own breeding plan. We do not offer refunds beyond the 72-Hour Live Chick Guarantee."

I won't be shipping chicks again until buyers agree to terms and conditions similar to the Greenfire Farms statement.

Thank you so much for the work you do.

 

[Perris]

I wish I could get some from you, but sadly, I'm on the wrong continent!

 

[Perris]

As I understand it, there are nice flocks in Ireland and possibly others in the UK. There are flocks in Germany too.

I've tried googling but had no luck there; if you hear of any specific contacts, do please let me know!

 

[bsvaldez]

These birds are extremely rare worldwide. More rare in the US.

I have chicks hatching now and can ship today or tomorrow.
I need the zip code of anyone interested.
Message me for my phone# and PayPal account for your address and for payment.
They have to reach my post office for 2 day express mail. To many zip codes, no overnight is available.
Depending on your zip code, it is about $40 or more for chick postage for up to 25 chicks. A little more for a 50 chick order.
($10 per chick)

The first post here has pictures of birds and eggs as well as a writeup on the breed.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/black-penedesenca-hatching-eggs.1235753/

I am interested in purchasing from you. I prefer day old chicks (6) but if you are not prepared I will buy a dozen hatching eggs. Can you reply if the pricing is the same for both and shipping to 92065, Ramona, California.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I am interested in purchasing from you. I prefer day old chicks (6) but if you are not prepared I will buy a dozen hatching eggs. Can you reply if the pricing is the same for both and shipping to 92065, Ramona, California.

Hi. Sorry for the delay. I just saw your post. I have chicks hatching November 1st and should be able to get them in the mail first thing on Monday, the 2nd.
I'm busy today but I'll look into it and give you a price for shipping by tomorrow.

 

[bsvaldez]

Thank you. That's great. I look forward working with you and receiving this rare and beautiful breed.