The Pita Pinta Asturiana is a Spanish
breed of
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 ...
. It is the only chicken breed indigenous to the
principality of Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensiv ...
, in north-western Spain.
Etymology
The name comes from the
, 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 of the
Basque Country. 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
A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders ...
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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