Chicken Breed Focus - Penedesenca

[thepick4uchicks]

These are gorgeous birds with beautiful eggs and qualities. I live in the hot humid Deep South. Would love to know if these birds are friendly and like to be handled? Again love the article and you all have beautiful birds. Thank you

 

[Finnie]

These are gorgeous birds with beautiful eggs and qualities. I live in the hot humid Deep South. Would love to know if these birds are friendly and like to be handled? Again love the article and you all have beautiful birds. Thank you

My Partridge Penedesencas are the most freaked-out birds I have. Most of my chickens, when I have to catch them up, will settle down after I get a secure hold on them. Not my Penes. They scream like they are being murdered the whole time. Even a lot of my Pene crosses do this too.
This year I ordered Crele Penes from Welp. They seem pretty skittish. I haven’t had to catch them up yet, so I don’t know if they will scream like the Partridge.
Of course, this is with me not out there trying to make pets out of my birds. Maybe it would be different if I had been playing with them since day one in the brooder.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

These are gorgeous birds with beautiful eggs and qualities. I live in the hot humid Deep South. Would love to know if these birds are friendly and like to be handled? Again love the article and you all have beautiful birds. Thank you

Friendly, to a point. Like to be handled, absolutely not. They are not human aggressive. They just prefer not to have human contact.
I much admire their aloof nature. They avoid anything not chicken. I believe that is what assures their survival in a free range situation.
They are not too bad in a flock but don't handle confinement well. If you were to walk into a pen with a single bird, it would kill itself trying to get out of the pen. The term flighty which is used for all Mediterranean class breeds I believe is a misnomer. While some, like Leghorns or Buttercups may fly, these prefer to run. It isn't that they can't fly but they do so as a last resort. If cornered, they can fly to the roof of a building but if not pressed, they are more likely to crawl under than fly over a 3' fence. I've kept flocks of roosters inside a 2' fence. As such, they are easy keepers.

My Partridge Penedesencas are the most freaked-out birds I have. Most of my chickens, when I have to catch them up, will settle down after I get a secure hold on them. Not my Penes. They scream like they are being murdered the whole time. Even a lot of my Pene crosses do this too.
This year I ordered Crele Penes from Welp. They seem pretty skittish. I haven’t had to catch them up yet, so I don’t know if they will scream like the Partridge.
Of course, this is with me not out there trying to make pets out of my birds. Maybe it would be different if I had been playing with them since day one in the brooder.

I concur.
This is true especially when they are young or alone. As a flock they will come up to you once they are a year old and realize you aren't going to eat them - yet.
If I need to handle them to do anything, like move them to another building, read their wing band #, check for lice/mites, etc., I have to do so when they go to roost at dusk. They are rather docile then. Plucking them off the roost before dawn is a completely different story. That's when they scream bloody murder.

I do know that daily frequent handling when they are small will alter that behavior but I don't do that. I like them wild.
I know people who have tamed them but I don't have that kind of time.

 

[Finnie]

Belated thanks Sumi for your terrific review!

Spring of 2016, my local Tractor Supply sold straight-run Partridge Penedesenca. The breeder who supplied Tractor Supply is unknown. I bought all 8 chicks and put them in a brooder with a heating pad pinned over a piece of wire mesh. I usually raise chicks under broody hens, but none were available. The chicks were handled a lot, fed Flockraiser and grew out to larger than expected, to the size of Australorps. They were 4 pullets and 4 cockerels, uniform in color and pattern except one hen had different fluff. They were active foragers, roosted high in trees and in my aviary style coop, and were successful broodies. I was delighted with the Penedesenca eggs which were dark brown, and much different than the reddish terracotta color of eggs from my Cuckoo Marans. Unfortunately, I had a setback when someone let out the 4 boys where a dog picked them off. But two Easter EggerxPenedesenca daughters survived to lay olive green eggs and become successful broodies. I have one Easter EggerxPenedesenca cockerel.

Fast forward to 2020, Tractor Supply offered Crele Penedesenca pullets. I bought six hoping one would be male, because I believe the traits for dark brown eggs are recessive. The six are 3 crele and 3 partridge, all pullets. So, still need a purebred Penedesenca male.

I think that’s awesome that your TSC sold Crele Penes. Mine sold straight run partridge Penes in spring of 2018. I have children and grandchildren from them now.

This year I ordered Crele Penes from Welp. I don’t know where they source them from. Maybe the same place as yours. I ended up with 6 pullets and 4 cockerels. Make that 5 pullets, cuz I just this minute came in from losing one to a hawk! I came in to google whether or not it would be safe to eat her. She was quite hefty, and a very fresh kill. I’m sure the hawk got nothing to eat from her. There weren’t even many feathers pulled out yet.

But from searching, it sounds like there may be some concerns about contamination of the wound sites, and a lack of bleeding out. I decided I just don’t have time tonight to tackle it.

I noticed that the crele (mine anyway) have pale legs instead of grey, like my partridge. I’ve been assuming that’s from the barring gene. I know the Ameraucana people have trouble keeping slate legs when they introduce barring.

Their eggs are nice and dark though. Well, two are. The others are either not laying yet, or laying a lighter brown. I sure hope the dead one wasn’t one of the darkest egg ones. My Partridge lay nice and dark too. I’d like to try Wheaten next if I can find any.

 

[Nardo]

Thanks for this info. I'm always on the look out for good layers that can handle high heat temperatures.

 

[GabrielBane]

Dark Egg layers that are heat tolerant? Sounds like this is exactly the breed I've been looking into for our assorted egg baskets.

 

[1kluckychik]

We got our black Penes because everyone has Marans. I will try to get some pics tomorrow. Ours came from ChickenCanoe.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Very nicely written and great information! Gorgeous birds

sorry i'm out of ovates

 

[owlmeadowfarm32]

The egg color is beautiful

 

[N F C]

ChickenCanoe, thanks for such a detailed review! And thank you for sharing your beautiful birds with all of us, they are stunning!