Chicken Breed Focus - Penedesenca

[theconfidentcow]

Hello there! I have had Penedesencas twice. First time around did not enjoy them as they were flighty ladies! Second time around I had a game plan and understood the breed better.
I am Samantha at Cross B Hens N Heifers. I brought Penedesencas into my breeding line up as I am looking to preserve and make a difference for the breed. So many people are interested in dark egg layers and Black Copper Marans are most peoples go to. (Top Egg in Picture) but Penedesencas are a great alternative! First Penedesenca variety I brought in, is the Crele. This allows me to let particular customers in my local city environment to get sexed pullets at hatch, that will lay a dark brown egg. (Penedesenca eggs are the 3 below the top egg). I am excited to bring in Black and Partridge and put a breeding program around them as well.

Can you expand on what you did differently the second time around? What do you mean by understanding the breed better? I am considering adding them to my flock but am trying to do some research beforehand. Do they require different care than your average chicken in your experience? Any information would be greatly appreciated. TIA

 

[Perris]

Do they require different care than your average chicken in your experience? Any information would be greatly appreciated. TIA

I would say not, but then by 'average' I assume chickens are free-ranging, as all mine range dawn till dusk. I posted when they were young (#4 above) and I've been very happy with them. All 3 boys sadly died from some mysterious illness before they reached 18 months old, but the best of them was magnificent prior to falling ill, and he sired several excellent descendants before he passed, all of whom have had a very good year this year - and a hybrid son is now the dominant roo in the flock.

All 3 females make good mixed flock members; in terms of distinguishing features, one has played broody two years running and done an excellent job both times, and another nested in secret and raised a chick without setting foot in a coop here for the first 6 weeks; that feral chick integrated easily into the flock, and just started laying last week - and laid in a nest box in a coop, not out in the garden as she was. The third Penedesenca hen hatched here in 2021 has been one of my best layers. Overall, they are adept at foraging and free ranging, and none have fallen prey to the foxes and hawks that prowl the land and sky here. But I don't think they'd be happy in confinement, so if you keep your flock confined, you might be better off with a different breed.

 

[Cross B Hens N Heifers]

Can you expand on what you did differently the second time around? What do you mean by understanding the breed better? I am considering adding them to my flock but am trying to do some research beforehand. Do they require different care than your average chicken in your experience? Any information would be greatly appreciated. TIA

Hey sorry for not seeing this.
Between the two experiences I have learned that birds that are flightier are typically more nervous animals. On average ducks join this category. If you look at duck food they have higher B Vitamin levels which calms the birds down more. You can experiment with this by adding b vitamin to their drinking water as well. I actually just feed my breeders the Purina duck pellet which is a nice all around complete feed for them.

 

[Cross B Hens N Heifers]

Penedesencas are a rare breed of chicken native to the Spanish region of Catalonia. Originally, it was bred based on local barnyard chickens in the first half of the 20th century. Almost extinct in the 1980s, the original black Penedesenca was revived and other color varieties developed.

Penedesencas produce some of the darkest eggs in the world. Pullets lay dark eggs nearly black in their first year. When Penedesenca hens reach the end of the first season, their eggs turn lighter with a reddish-brown hue. Although they lay a fair amount of eggs (around 140 to 160 eggs per year), they don't generally brood.

A Penedesenca has red earlobes and a carnation comb, which is an unusual comb. The rear of their comb consists of several lobes, which differs from the single comb common to many other species of birds. Dark slate-colored legs are original, but a great variety of brighter colors have been developed since.

Among the standardized color variants of the Penedesenca are black, crele, partridge, and wheaten. The black color is the only one that is used as a dual-purpose chicken, and it is the heaviest. All other color varieties are developed specifically for egg production. A Crele Penedesenca chick's sex can be determined by the color of the chick at one day of age, as they are autosexing birds. Typically, Crele cockerels are gray, while pullets are brown.

Breed Purpose: Layer
Breed Temperament: Flighty
Breed Size: Large
Broodiness: Seldom
Comb: Carnation Comb
Climate Tolerance: All Climates
Egg Color: Dark Brown
Egg Size: Medium
Egg Productivity: Medium
Rarity: Rare

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pic by @ChickenCanoe

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pic by @maldojas

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pic by @ronott1

BYC Breed Reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/penedesenca.11391/

Do you own Penedesencas? Are you a Penedesenca breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with 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/

Thanks for the breed highlight but I see one edit should be changed. Your pictures are right but not the wording. They should have 2/3rd white earlobe at min surrounded by red.