The Mericanel della Brianza is a breed of small
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
or
bantam from
Lombardy, in northern Italy. It takes its name from the
Brianza
Brianza (, , lmo, label= Brianzöö dialect, Briànsa) is a geographical, historical and cultural area of Italy, at the foot of the Alps, in the northwest of Lombardy, between Milan and Lake Como.
Geography
Brianza extends from the ...
, an area to the north-east of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, and from , a
Lombard diminutive of ''merican'' "American".
In early 2012 it was the only officially recognised Italian bantam breed.
History
The Mericanel della Brianza is named after the Brianza, a hilly geographical area which extends to the north and north-east of Milan, in the provinces of
Monza e della Brianza,
Lecco
Lecco (, , ; lmo, label= Lecchese, Lècch ) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). ...
and
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...
, with a small part of the
province of Milan
The Province of Milan ( it, Provincia di Milano) was a province in the Lombardy region, Italy. Its capital was the city of Milan. The area of the former province is highly urbanized, with more than 2,000 inhabitants/km2, the third highest populat ...
. It is one of the few dwarf or bantam breeds in Italy, others being the
Mugellese
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 recognis ...
and the
Pépoi.
The Mericanel della Brianza is a traditional chicken breed of Lombardy, and was apparently selectively bred from local dwarf strains in the early 1900s. Recent attention from breeders has led to a phase of recognition, selection and recovery.
[
In early 2012, the Mericanel della Brianza was the only Italian bantam breed officially recognised by the Federazione Italiana Associazioni Avicole, the Italian federation of poultry breeders; the breed standard was approved in 1996.][
Breed numbers remain low. A study published in 2007 used a figure of approximately 350 for the total breeding stock, of which approximately 50 were cocks.][
]
Characteristics
Eight colour varieties are recognised for the Mericanel della Brianza, including white, black, silver, gold, pyle and white-spotted black. The skin and legs are yellow. The comb is single, with 5 points and a pronounced rear lobe. The ear-lobes are red. Average weight is for cocks, for hens. The eggs vary from cream to light brown, and weigh approximately 35 g.[
]
References
{{Chicken breeds of Italy
Chicken breeds
Chicken breeds originating in Italy