The Pita Pinta Asturiana is a Spanish
breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...
of
chicken. It is the only chicken breed indigenous to the
principality of Asturias, in north-western Spain.
Etymology
The name comes from the
Asturian language, in which ''pita'' means "hen" and ''pinta'' means "painted" or "mottled".
History
The breed belongs to the Atlantic branch of domestic chickens and has common origins with other chicken breeds in the north of Spain, such as the
Euskal Oiloa
The , es, Gallina Vasca, italic=no, is a breed of domestic chicken from the autonomous community of the Basque Country in north-eastern Spain and south-western France. It is the traditional rural chicken of the area, a rustic dual-purpose breed ...
of the
Basque Country
Basque Country may refer to:
* Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map)
* French Basque Country o ...
. With the industrialisation of egg production in Asturias in the 1950s and 1960s, breed numbers fell dramatically, almost to the point of extinction. Recovery of the breed began between 1980 and 1990. A breeders' association, the Asociación de Criadores de la Pita Pinta Asturiana, was founded in 2003; its 52 members have a total of 1842 birds. A
herd-book was established in 2005; at the end of 2013, a total of 2172 birds were recorded.
Characteristics
The Pita Pinta is compact and of medium weight; cocks weigh about , hens about . The
comb
A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...
is single with 5 to 7 points, smaller in hens than in cocks. The earlobes are always red, and the eyes orange. The skin is yellow, and the beak and legs yellow with black spots. There are four
colour varieties: Pinta Negra (mottled black); Pinta Roxa (mottled red-brown); Blanca (white); and Abedul (black). In the Pinta Negra variety the feathers are black, edged with white, giving the characteristic mottled look.
Ring size is for cocks and for hens.
Use
The Pita Pinta is a good, regular layer, tough and responsive to the environment. Eggs are the colour of burnt cream, with a soft texture, and weigh (about 2 oz).
References
Further reading
* G. Attard, P. Aquilina, S. Ceccobelli, R. Ridler, C. Castellini, E. Lasagna (2014)
Origin and complete breed standard of Maltese Black breed ''World's Poultry Science Journal'' 70 (2, June 2014): 385–396. .
* A. Grimal, M.P. Viudes de Castro, E.A. Gómez, F. Goyache, L.J. Royo (2011)
In: ''XIV Jornadas sobre Producción Animal, Zaragoza, España, 17 y 18 de mayo de 2011''. .
External links
*
ttp://lapitapinta.galeon.com/ La Pita Pinta AsturianaSite with pictures of the Pita Pinta.
Asturias
Chicken breeds originating in Spain
Chicken breeds
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